Laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy in a swine model. Third place winner of the Conrad Jobst Award in the Gold Medal paper competition.

A simplified method of laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy using prosthetic materials was evaluated in a swine hemia model. The goals of this study were to determine 1) effectiveness of repair in a rapidly growing animal, 2) effectiveness and extent of adhesion formation of different prosthetic materials, 3) the effect of repair on testicular growth, and 4) histologic effects on the hemia site and surrounding structures. In a prospective randomized study, 30 juvenile male swine (average, 23 kg) with 35 congenital indirect inguinal hernias underwent laparoscopic herniorrhaphy using one of three prosthetic materials: Group 1 (polytetrafluoroethylene/Gore-Tex), N=10; Group 2 (polypropylene mesh/Marlex), N=10; Group 3 (polypropylene mesh/Prolene), N=10