BMJ  2004;329 (4 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7478.0-b

Mesh lowers recurrence of hernias in Scotland

Since mesh surgery was introduced in Scotland in 1993 for inguinal hernia repair, the rate of recurrent hernias has declined significantly. Atkinson and colleagues (p 1315) retrospectively identified 16 450 patients who underwent primary inguinal hernia repair and 1859 with recurrent inguinal hernia repair, looking at surgical techniques used. They found that in 1993 fewer than 1% of operations used mesh, but this increased to more than 90% by 2001. The total number of primary repairs increased significantly and the total rate of recurrent repairs decreased significantly.

Credit: BIOPHOTO ASSOCIATES

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Relevant Article

Surgical management of inguinal hernia: retrospective cohort study in southeastern Scotland, 1985-2001

H D E Atkinson, S G Nicol, S Purkayastha, and S Paterson-Brown
BMJ 2004 329: 1315-1316. [Full Text] [PDF]