Special issue—Collagen

Excerpt

Hernia is the most frequent surgical disease with an overall incidence of more than 10% of the total population and at least the same percentage of the average surgeon’s workload. Since its first description more than 4,000 years ago by Babylonians and Egyptians, hernia has always been understood as a mechanical defect of the abdominal wall caused by trauma, heavy weight lifting, or maximum intraabdominal pressure. Because the etiology of hernia was suspected to be a mechanical problem, traditional surgery consisted of mechanical repair by suture, i.e. direct closure of the hernia defect by suturing. Although this repair usually succeeds, hernias recur at a rate of 10–15%, despite the best mechanical suture repair. …