Mesh fixation techniques for inguinal hernia repair: an overview of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials

Adegoke Alabi, Nafi’u Haladu, Neil Scott, Mari Imamura, Irfan Ahmed, George Ramsay, Miriam Brazzelli* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose
Inguinal hernia repair using surgical mesh is a very common surgical operation. Currently, there is no consensus on the best technique for mesh fixation. We conducted an overview of existing systematic reviews (SRs) of randomised controlled trials to compare the risk of chronic pain and recurrence following open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs using various mesh fixation
techniques.
Methods
We searched major electronic databases in April 2020 and assessed the methodological quality of identified reviews using the AMSTAR-2 tool.
Results
We identified 20 SRs of variable quality assessing suture, self-gripping, glue, and mechanical fixation. Across reviews, the risk of chronic pain after open mesh repair was lower with glue fixation than with suture and comparable between self-gripping and suture. Incidence of chronic pain was lower with glue fixation than with mechanical fixation in laparoscopic repairs. There
were no significant differences in recurrence rates between fixation techniques in open and laparoscopic mesh repairs, although fewer recurrences were reported with suture. Many reviews reported wide confidence intervals around summary estimates. Despite no clear evidence of differences among techniques, two network meta-analyses (one assessing open repairs and one laparoscopic repairs) ranked glue fixation as the best treatment for reducing pain and suture for reducing the risk of recurrence.
Conclusion
Glue fixation may be effective in reducing the incidence of chronic pain without increasing the risk of recurrence. Future research should consider both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of fixation techniques alongside the type of mesh and the size and location of the hernia defect.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)973–987
Number of pages15
JournalHernia
Volume26
Early online date14 Dec 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2022

Bibliographical note

No external funding was obtained for this overview of published systematic reviews.

Keywords

  • Hernia repair
  • Inguinal
  • Mesh
  • Overview of systematic reviews

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