Mesh Infection in the Era of Laparoscopy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The incidence of mesh infection during open hernia repair has been reported to be as high as 3%. With the introduction of laparoscopy, the rate of infection is still a matter of debate. METHODS: All 1182 laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs performed at our institution from September 1991 to June 2002 were retrospectively reviewed to identify both mesh and wound infections. RESULTS: There were two mesh infections (0.17%) during that period, and one wound infection. CONCLUSION: The incidence of mesh infection in laparoscopic repair is considerably lower than in the open procedure. The two main reasons for this are the introduction of mesh through trocars to avoid skin contact, and the mesh is placed far from the trocar incisions, again avoiding contamination. The rate of wound infection is not related to that of mesh infection, and depends mainly on aseptic prepping techniques prior to surgery.