Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery
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Case Reports
Sciatic hernia: laparoscopic transabdominal extraperitoneal repair with plug and patch.
Sciatic hernia is a rare pelvic floor hernia that occurs through the greater or lesser sciatic foramen. Sciatic hernias often present as pelvic pain, particularly in women, and diagnosis can be difficult. ⋯ We show a laparoscopic technique using a plug of human allogeneic dermal matrix and lightweight polypropylene extraperitoneal patch avoiding fixation. The patient had significant improvement of her symptoms and no complications at 12 months follow-up.
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The repair of hernias through iliac crest defects is challenging secondary to the inherent weakness of the abdominal musculature and the rigidity of the pelvis. The defect is surrounded by inadequate tissue to properly buttress the repair. Full-thickness tricortical bone harvested from the iliac may result in an incisional hernia through the bony defect. ⋯ There were no infectious or neurologic complications, and neither patient has recurred. The laparoscopic approach to the repair of hernias resulting from tricortical iliac crest bone harvest is safe and may be preferable to open repair. Advantages include durable repair, better interoperative visualization, and reduced post-operative pain, morbidity, and hospital stay.
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Athletes and other physically active people often suffer prolonged inguinal pain, which can become a serious debilitating condition and may place an athlete's career at risk. A sportsmen hernia is a controversial cause of this chronic groin pain, as it is difficult to be defined. From an anatomical point of view, the definition and the name of this entity should be reviewed. ⋯ The forces produced by these muscles may be imbalanced and could produce a disruption of the muscle/tendon at their insertion site on the pubis or/and a weak area may be increased due to the forces produced by the muscles, and just this last possibility could be defined as "sportsmen hernia." In conclusion, this global entity could be considered to be an imbalance of the muscles (abductor and abdominal) at the pubis, that leads to an increase of the weakness of the posterior wall of the groin and produces a tendon enthesitis, once a true origin is not detected, that may lead to a degenerative arthropathy of the pubic symphysis in the advanced stages. Based on this, this entity could be re-named as "syndrome of muscle imbalance of the groin" and the sportsmen hernia could be considered as an entity included in this syndrome. It is recommended that a multidisciplinary approach is given to this entity, since the present literature does not supply the proper diagnostic studies and the correct treatment which should be performed in these patients.
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Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum (PPP) is a safe and effective procedure in the treatment of large incisional hernia (size > 10 cm in width or length) with loss of domain (LIHLD). There is no consensus in the literature on the amount of gas that must be insufflated in a PPP program or even how long it should be maintained. We describe a technique for calculating the hernia sac volume (HSV) and abdominal cavity volume (ACV) based on abdominal computerized tomography (ACT) scanning that eliminates the need for subjective criteria for inclusion in a PPP program and shows the amount of gas that must be insufflated into the abdominal cavity in the PPP program. ⋯ Since PPP sessions were performed once a day, 4-18 days were needed for preoperative preparation with PPP. The mean VR was 36% (ranged from 26 to 73%). We conclude that ACT provides objective data for volume calculation of both hernia sac and abdominal cavity and also for estimation of the volume of gas that should be insufflated into the abdominal cavity in PPP.
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Prosthetic mesh reinforcement is standard practice for inguinal hernia repair but can cause considerable pain and stiffness around the groin and affect physical functioning. This has led to various types of mesh being engineered, with a growing interest in a lighter weight mesh. The aim of this prospective study was to compare the outcome after laparoscopic totally extra-peritoneal (TEP) inguinal repair using new lightweight or traditional heavyweight mesh performed in a single specialist centre. ⋯ Laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair with a lightweight mesh improves functional outcome in the short and long term. There was significantly less interference with all aspects of physical activity with the lightweight mesh. Pain in both groups was very mild, highlighting the benefits of laparoscopic surgery.