Management of chronic postoperative pain following incisional hernia repair with Composix mesh: a report of two cases.

There are new prosthetic biomaterials that are used to repair various defects in the abdominal wall. These have been developed within the last several years. The results of many of these products are not yet available. We report on two patients who developed chronic-pain syndromes that could only be related to the use of Composix mesh. This entity may become more conspicuous in the future, thereby presenting the surgeon with difficulty in approaching this new and difficult problem. We believe that shrinkage of the prosthesis was responsible for the pain. Both of these patients responded favorably to resection of the mesh by the open or laparoscopic technique. This was followed by repair of the fascial defect with DualMesh by the open or laparoscopic method. We were successful in the achievement of the relief of the pain and the repair of the hernia in both cases. We believe that this entity can be treated successfully by this approach. The laparoscopic method is favored.