T-line Hernia Mesh Repairs of Large Umbilical Hernias: Technique and Short-term Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The T-line hernia mesh is a synthetic, polypropylene mesh specifically designed to prevent anchor point failure by evenly distributing tension through mesh suture extensions. This case series illustrates the first clinical application of the T-line mesh for umbilical hernia repair (UHR).

METHODS: This study is a retrospective, consecutive cases series of all adult patients presenting to a single surgeon with symptomatic umbilical hernia requiring surgical repair using the T-line hernia mesh. Patient demographics, surgical details, and 30-day postoperative complications were collected. Descriptive statistics were computed in Microsoft Excel (Redmond, Va.).

RESULTS: Three patients presented for UHR. All three patients were obese with mean body mass index of 37.5 ± 6.6. Two patients were former smokers, and two had presented after hernia recurrence. The average defect size was 80.1 cm2 ± 94.0 cm2 . Two patients had UHR with onlay mesh placement, whereas one had a transversus abdominus release followed by retrorectus mesh placement. The average mesh size was 192.3 cm2 ± 82.5 cm2 . All three cases were classified as clean. There were no intraoperative complications. No patients experienced 30-day postoperative complications or recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS: We present a case series of three patients presenting with large, symptomatic umbilical hernias who underwent UHR with T-line hernia mesh reinforcement without short term complications or hernia recurrence at last follow-up.