Biomaterials and the evolution of hernia repair I: The history of biomaterials and the permanent meshes

Abstract

Increasingly, bioprosthetic materials are being used for a variety of surgical applications. In general surgery, for example, surgical techniques for hernia repair have been influenced directly by the development of different prosthetic meshes. As the field of biomaterial science advances, new insight into the physiological response to materials guides the development of newer classes of biomaterials including synthetic, partially synthetic, and natural tissue derivatives. This chapter, the first of three parts on materials for hernia repair, outlines historical aspects of bioprosthetic materials, details experimental (often animal) and clinical evidence for use of current materials, and establishes a framework for understanding the principles used for development of new prostheses. Although hernias serve as the model disease, the fundamentals of bio-prostheses interactions are applicable to many different genres in medicine. © 2008 Springer New York.