Surgical mesh

Surgical mesh is a medical implant made of loosely woven mesh, which is used in surgery as either a permanent or temporary structural support for organs and other tissues. Surgical mesh can be made from both inorganic and biological materials and is used in a variety of surgeries, although hernia repair is the most common application. It can also be used for reconstructive work, such as in pelvic organ prolapse^[1] or to repair physical defects (mainly of body cavity walls) created by extensive resections or traumatic tissue loss.

Permanent meshes remain in the body, whereas temporary ones dissolve over time. One temporary mesh was shown in 2012 to fully dissolve after three years in a scientific trial on sheep.^[2] Some types of mesh combine permanent and temporary meshes which includes both resorbable vicryl, made from polyglycolic acid, and prolene, a non-resorbable polypropylene.^[3]

Data of mechanical and biological behaviors of mesh in vivo may not always be reflective of conditions within the human body due to testing in non-human organisms. Most published reports experiment on mice, thus creating the likelihood of possible differences when inserted into the human body. Also, most published research reports reference meshes that are currently disallowed from the medical device market due to complications post-surgery. Additionally, the absence of FDA-approved regulatory protocols and universal standard operating procedures leads to a variety of different testing methods from researcher to researcher. Experimentation may find differing outcomes for some meshes.^{[citation needed][original research?]}