A prospective study was conducted over a 5-year period to determine whether
inguinal hernia repair could be safely performed with absorbable
suture material (
polydioxanone) with reference to recurrence rates,
wound pain, haematoma formation and
wound infection. Analysis is available for 111 operations involving 111 patients. Mean follow-up was 36 (range 21-66) months, with 81 procedures monitored for more than 2 years. Two-layered
hernia repair was used in all cases with
polydioxanone as the chosen
suture material. Mean post-operative stay was 2.1 days, with no hospital
wound infections and three haematomas. Review identified 1
wound infection. There have been two recurrences. Preliminary results suggest that
hernia repair with absorbable
suture materials is comparable to traditional non-absorbable repair in terms of recurrence and associated
wound complications. The additional benefit is the absence of foreign material in the
wound region following degradation of the absorbable material. This does not appear to compromise the integrity of the
hernia repair. Mesh repairs are increasingly preferred to Shouldice-style repairs in elective
inguinal hernias. However, we believe that
polydioxanone should be the
suture material of choice in obstructed or strangulated
hernia. A larger study is required to verify this, as well as a longer follow-up period. The use of absorbable material warrants further investigation.