Lightweight mesh linked to more ventral hernia recurrence

Patients who received lightweight mesh during open ventral hernia repair had more long-term recurrences than those who received midweight mesh.

• Recurrence occurred in 12.9% of patients with lightweight mesh versus 1.9% with midweight mesh.

• The comparison included 310 patients matched for body mass index, wound class and hernia defect size.

• Wound complications and early reoperations were similar between groups.

The findings raise concerns about lightweight mesh durability, but the observational design cannot prove that mesh weight caused the difference.