title: Repair of a coccygeal hernia with a biological mesh.
abstract: Coccygeal herniation after coccygectomy is rare. Little is known about the management of this complication. We present a case of a 44 year old women with a coccygeal herniation 7 years after coccygectomy. She was treated two times for an infected pilonidal sinus with incision and drainage. After the last incision and drainage she had complaints of a painful swelling in the sacral area and difficulty with evacuation of her stools. A defaecography showed a coccygeal herniation. An additional MRI of the pelvic region showed a defect with a diameter of approximately 38mm. We performed a hernia repair with a biological mesh (Strattice™ surgical mesh, LifeCell Corporation USA) via a sacral approach. Her recovery was complicated by a small wound dehiscence without clinical signs of infection. The sacral wound healed per secundam. Her complaints had completely disappeared. A defaecography 2 months after surgery showed no residual herniation. To our knowledge, it is the first reported case of a coccygeal hernia repair with a biological Strattice™ surgical mesh.
authors.affiliation: Kennemer Gasthuis, Haarlem, The Netherlands. Electronic address: frankhoexum@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hoexum
authors.affiliation: Kennemer Gasthuis, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R J C L M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Vuylsteke
keywords: Biologic mesh; Coccygeal; Hernia; Repair