Intestinal Obstruction Caused by Mesh Rejection Following Umbilical Hernia Repair : A Case Study

The use of mesh has become the gold standard in hernia operations recently due to advantages such as lower recurrence rates, lower post-surgical pain. Although rare, there may be complications of surgery such as mesh rejection , mesh erosion. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this complication can be ascribed to the chronic inflammatory reaction due to the mesh, that causes progressive erosion of the parietal peritoneum and adhesion of intestinal loops to the abdominal wall . Penetration of the mesh into the gut is rare by the peristalsis. Bowel loop adhesion to the peritoneum is common if mesh positioned intraperitoneally. Here we discuss a rare case of intestinal obstruction caused by mesh rejection following recurrent umbilical hernia repair , proceeded with mesh extraction from bowel and anatomical repair of the hernia , because mesh was involved in the observed complication and intestinal contamination was present.