EP.TH.444Long-term recurrence and complication rates in patients with self gripping mesh hernia repair

Aim Assessment of long term complications of self gripping mesh used in different types of hernia repair procedures more than 4 years ago aiming to compare the results with sutured prolene mesh with regards to safety and efficacy. Methods 70 patients (3 emergency & 67 elective) ventral hernia repair procedures, done in 2016 using self gripping mesh, were followed for recurrence and complications on the long term. Results There were 2 right (6.45%) and 1 left (3.44%) inguinal hernia recurrences. There were no cases of chronic groin pain or foreign body sensation. As compared to the meta-analysis of postoperative pain using non-sutured or sutured single-layer open mesh repair for inguinal hernia, where 19 studies including 4531 patients analysed recurrence, no significant difference was found in recurrence rates between the 2 mesh repair groups after 1 year of follow-up. With regards to the incidence of chronic pain at 12 months, there was no significant difference between Self gripping and suture fixation. Conclusions The self-gripping mesh in this study has better results as compared with a sutured mesh regarding the incidence of chronic postoperative inguinal pain and foreign body sensation. Recurrence rates are comparable to most studies, however, long-term results still are based on relatively small patients numbers.