title: Biocompatibility of prosthetic meshes in abdominal surgery.
abstract: Surgical meshes today represent a group of implants mainly used for hernia repair. Modern hernia surgery is no longer imaginable without the application of these special biomaterials leading to millions of implantations each year worldwide. Because clinical trials are insufficient to evaluate the distinct effects of modified mesh materials in regard to tissue biocompatibility and functionality, a basic understanding of the physicochemical properties of mesh materials, as well as the underlying cause for hernia formation, is essential for a rational selection of the most appropriate device. The most important properties of meshes were found to be the type of filament, tensile strength, and experimental data, which indicate that particularly the mesh's porosity is of outstanding importance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binnebösel
authors.forename: Klaus T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: von Trotha
authors.forename: Petra Lynen
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conze
authors.forename: Ulf P
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Junge
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006547:Hernia / Q000503:physiopathology; D059685:Herniorrhaphy; D006801:Humans; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D013526:Surgical Mesh / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials