Mesh Repair in Crohn's Disease: A Case-Matched Multicenter Study in 234 Patients

Mesh-related complications and recurrence after incisional hernia repair in patients with fistulizing versus non-fistulizing Crohn's disease

PURPOSE

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) frequently undergo multiple abdominal operations, which increase the risk of incisional hernia repair (IHR) and associated mesh-related complications. Patients with intra-abdominal fistulizing CD (FCD) may be more susceptible to mesh-related complications than patients with non-fistulizing CD (non-FCD). The primary objective was to evaluate the risk of reoperation due to mesh-related complications after IHR in patients with FCD and non-FCD. Secondarily, the study evaluated the impact of isolated perianal fistulizing CD on mesh-related complications and the difference in hernia recurrence reoperation rates between FCD and non-FCD patients.

METHODS

This nationwide study followed patients from 30 days after their first recorded IHR until reoperation due to mesh-related complications or hernia recurrence. Cumulative incidence proportion and Cox regression analysis were used to estimate the risk of these outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 334 patients with CD (FCD, n = 55; non-FCD, n = 279) underwent IHR between 2007 and 2016 with a follow-up rate of 100%. FCD patients had a significantly higher 5 year risk of reoperation for mesh-related complications (HR 15.95, 95% CI 4.29-59.35) compared with non-FCD patients. None of the patients with isolated perianal fistulizing disease required a reoperation for mesh-related complications. The overall risk of reoperation for recurrence was 8.7%, and did not vary significantly between FCD and non-FCD patients (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.44-2.58).

CONCLUSIONS

FCD may be associated with higher rates of mesh-related complications compared with non-FCD, although larger studies are needed to confirm this finding. Conversely, isolated perianal fistulas do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of mesh-related complications. The benefits associated with mesh should be balanced with the risk of long-term mesh-related complications in patients with FCD.

Incisional hernia rates between intracorporeal and extracorporeal anastomosis in minimally invasive ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease

PURPOSE

One-third of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) require multiple surgeries during their lifetime. So, reducing the incisional hernia rate is crucial. We aimed to define incisional hernia rates after minimally invasive ileocolic resection for CD, comparing intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision (ICA-P) versus extracorporeal anastomosis with midline vertical incision (ECA-M).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort compares ICA-P versus ECA-M from a prospectively maintained database of consecutive minimally invasive ileocolic resections for CD performed between 2014 and 2021 in a referral center.

RESULTS

Of the 249 patients included: 59 were in the ICA-P group, 190 in the ECA-M group. Both groups were similar according to baseline and preoperative characteristics. Overall, 22 (8.8%) patients developed an imaging-proven incisional hernia: seven at the port-site and 15 at the extraction-site. All 15 extraction-site incisional hernias were midline vertical incisions [7.9%; p = 0.025], and 8 patients (53%) required surgical repair. Time-to-event analysis showed a 20% rate of extraction-site incisional hernia in the ECA-M group after 48 months (p = 0.037). The length of stay was lower in the intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision group [ICA-P: 3.3 ± 2.5 vs. ECA-M: 4.1 ± 2.4 days; p = 0.02] with similar 30-day postoperative complication [11(18.6) vs. 59(31.1); p = 0.064] and readmission rates [7(11.9) vs. 18(9.5); p = 0.59].

CONCLUSION

Patients in the ICA-P group did not encounter any incisional hernias while having shorter hospital length of stay and similar 30-day postoperative complications or readmission compared to ECA-M. Therefore, more consideration should be given to performing intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision during Ileocolic resection in patients with CD to reduce hernia risk.

Incisional Hernia rates between Intracorporeal and Extracorporeal Anastomosis in Minimally Invasive Ileocolic Resection for Crohn's disease.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2591968/v1]

Purpose: One-third of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) require multiple surgeries during their lifetime. So, reducing the incisional hernia rate is crucial. We aimed to define incisional hernia rates after minimally invasive ileocolic resection for CD, comparing intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision (ICA-P) versus extracorporeal anastomosis with midline vertical incision (ECA-M). Methods: This retrospective cohort compares ICA-P versus ECA-M from a prospectively maintained database of consecutive minimally invasive ileocolic resections for CD performed between 2014 and 2021 in a referral center. Results: Of the 249 patients included: 59 were in the ICA-P group, 190 in the ECA-M group. Both groups were similar according to baseline and preoperative characteristics. Overall, 22 (8.8%) patients developed an imaging-proven incisional hernia: seven at the port-site and 15 at the extraction-site. All 15 extraction-site incisional hernias were midline vertical incisions [7.9%; p=0.025], and 8 patients (53%) required surgical repair. Time-to-event analysis showed a 20% rate of extraction-site incisional hernia in the ECA-M group after 48 months (p =0.037). The length of stay was lower in the intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision group [ICA-P: 3.3±2.5 vs. ECA-M: 4.1±2.4 days; p=0.02] with similar 30-day postoperative complication [11(18.6) vs. 59(31.1); p=0.064] and readmission rates [7(11.9) vs. 18(9.5); p=0.59]. Conclusion: Patients in the ICA-P group did not encounter any incisional hernias while having shorter hospital length of stay and similar 30-day postoperative complications or readmission compared to ECA-M. Therefore, more consideration should be given to performing intracorporeal anastomosis with Pfannenstiel incision during Ileocolic resection in patients with CD to reduce hernia risk.

Abdominal hernia mesh repair in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review

Background

Postoperative hernia-repair complications are frequent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This fact challenges surgeons’ decision about hernia mesh management in these patients. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the hernia mesh repair in IBD patients with emphasis on risk factors for postoperative complications.

Method

A systematic review was done in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines. A search was carried out on PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. English language articles published from inception to October 2021 were included in this study. MERSQI scores were applied along with evidence grades in agreement with GRADE’s recommendations. The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021247185).

Results

The present systematic search resulted in 11,243 citations with a final inclusion of 10 citations. One paper reached high and 4 moderate quality. Patients with IBD exhibit about 27% recurrence after hernia repair. Risk factors for overall abdominal septic morbidity in Crohn’s disease comprised enteroprosthetic fistula, mesh withdrawals, surgery duration, malnutrition biological mesh, and gastrointestinal concomitant procedure.

Conclusion

Patients with IBD were subject, more so than controls to postoperative complications and hernia recurrence. The use of a diversity of mesh types, a variety of position techniques, and several surgical choices in the citations left room for less explicit and more implicit inferences as regards best surgical option for hernia repair in patients with IBD.

Short-term outcomes and healthcare resource utilization following incisional hernia repair with synthetic mesh in patients with Crohn's disease

PURPOSE

While the use of synthetic mesh for incisional hernia repair reduces recurrence rates, little evidence exists regarding the impact of this practice on the disease burden of a Crohn's patient. We aimed to describe the post-operative outcomes and healthcare resource utilization following incisional hernia repair with synthetic mesh in patients with Crohn's disease.

METHODS

A retrospective review of adult patients with Crohn's disease who underwent elective open incisional hernia repair with extra-peritoneal synthetic mesh from 2014 to 2018 at a single large academic hospital with surgeons specializing in hernia repair was conducted. Primary outcomes included 30-day post-operative complications and long-term rates of fistula formation and hernia recurrence. The secondary outcome compared healthcare resource utilization during a standardized fourteen-month period before and after hernia repair.

RESULTS

Among the 40 patients included, six (15%) required readmission, 4 (10%) developed a surgical site occurrence, 3 (7.5%) developed a surgical site infection, and one (2.5%) required reoperation within the first 30 days. The overall median follow-up time was 42 months (IQR = 33-56), during which time one (2.5%) patient developed an enterocutaneous fistula and eight (20%) experienced hernia recurrence. Healthcare resource utilization remained unchanged or decreased across every category following repair.

CONCLUSION

The use of extra-peritoneal synthetic mesh during incisional hernia repair in patients with Crohn's disease was not associated with a prohibitively high rate of post-operative complications or an increase in healthcare resource utilization to suggest worsening disease during the first 4 years after repair. Future studies exploring the long-term outcomes of this technique are needed.

Postoperative outcomes following inguinal hernia repair in inflammatory bowel disease patients compared to matched controls

OBJECTIVES

To assess surgical outcome in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair and to asses possible risk factors.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of a prospective database including all IBD patients treated in a large tertiary center between 2008 and 2019 was conducted. IBD patients who underwent inguinal hernia surgery were matched using a propensity match scoring based on demographic and perioperative characteristics. Clinical operative data were extracted from medical records and analyzed.

RESULTS

Overall, out of 5467 IBD patients treated in our institute, 26 patients (0.47%) underwent inguinal hernia repair. Seventy-six matched patients with similar characteristics were compared to the IBD group. Postoperative complications were found to be more common in the IBD group (30.7% vs 11.8%; P = 0.03) compared to controls. We found no significant differences in length of stay (3.38 vs 2.83 days; P = 0.21) and hernia recurrence rate (7.6% vs 9.2%; P = 1). Within the IBD group, multivariate analysis failed to demonstrate any possible risk factor for postoperative complications, including gender [-1.53 to 2.81 95% confidence interval (CI), P = 0.52], age (-0.34 to 1.15 95% CI, P = 0.25), BMI (-0.041 to 0.019 95% CI, P = 0.43), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (-0.15 to 0.54 95% CI, P = 0.24) or medications (-0.25 to 0.28 95% CI, P = 0.88). In addition, out of various operative factors, including operation urgency, surgical approach and surgery duration, only the latter was found to be correlated with postoperative complications (0.013-0.035 95% CI, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

IBD Patients undergoing abdominal wall hernia surgery are prone to more postoperative complications.