Hernia Mesh
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), over one million hernia repairs are performed annually in the United States. Eight of every ten hernia repair procedures are to repair inguinal hernias, or hernias that occur in the inner groin; the remaining procedures address other types of hernias (such as femoral, incisional, ventral, umbilical, or hiatal). Use of surgical mesh to repair hernias, which began in the 1980s, proliferated the field, and by 2000, less than 10% of groin hernia repair techniques did not involve the use of mesh.
Surgeons use mesh to strengthen hernia repairs. Hernias are known to have a high rate of recurrence, and use of surgical mesh is intended to reduce that rate. There are two types of mesh products: those made from absorbable material and those made from non-absorbable material. Mesh made from absorbable material is intended to break down over time, while mesh made from non-absorbable material functions as an implant.