Complications of the Use of Prostheses: Part I

Abstract

In the early 1800s, the degenerative nature of inguinal hernia was suspected by Astley Cooper. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Billroth realized the need for prosthetic reinforcement of the inguinal floor, musing that, if only the proper material could be created to ``artificially produce tissue of the density and toughness of fascia and tendon, the secret of the radical cure of hernia would be discovered.''2 The earlier generations of biomaterials for hernia repair such as tantalum mesh, stainless steel mesh, polyester cloth, polyester sheeting (Mylar®), nylon mesh, acrylic cloth (Orion®), polyvinyl sponge (Ivalon®), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (Teflon® mesh and cloth), and carbon fiber mesh resulted in disastrous complications such as infection, rejection, fragmentation, adhesion, erosion, and transmigration.