Abdominal hernia repair is the most frequently performed operation in surgery. Mostly due to lowered recurrence rates mesh repairs in
hernia surgery have become an integral component despite increasing mesh-related complications. Current available mesh
prosthesis are made of
polypropylene (PP).
polyethylene-terephtalat or polytetrafluorethylene. though all of them reveal some disadvantages. The introduction of new materials seems to be advisable. Caused by supposed advantageous textile properties and tissue response two mesh modifications made of
polyvinylidene fluoride (
PVDF) for
abdominal hernia repair were developed. In the present study the
PVDF meshes were compared to a common heavy weight PP-mesh (
Prolene) in regard to functional consequences and morphological tissue response. After implantation in rats as
inlay for 3, 14, 21, 42 and 90 days abdominal wall mobility was recorded by three-dimensional photogrammetry. Tensile strength of the
suture zone and the mesh itself were determined. Explanted tissue samples have been investigated for their histological reaction in regard to the inflammatory infiltrate. vascularisation, connective and fat tissue ingrowth. Number of granulocytes, macrophages, fibroblasts, lymphocytes and foreign giant body cells have been evaluated to reflect quality of tissue response. The cellular response was grasped by measurement of
DNA strand breaks and apoptosis (TUNEL), proliferation (Ki67) and cell stress (HSP70). Analyzing the results confirmed that construction of
hernia meshes made of
PVDF could be an advantageous alternative to the commonly used materials due to an improved biostability. lowered bending stiffness and a minimum tissue response.