DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW BIOCOMPATIBLE POLYESTER HERNIA MESHES IMPREGNATED WITH CHITOSAN

Hernias and abdominal wall defects are routinely treated using synthetic and biological meshes. However, complications such as hernia recurrence and seroma and adhesion formation are quite common. So far, various materials have been employed to prevent adhesions while ensuring good mechanical properties. A good hernia mesh should harbor outstanding parietal surface tissue in-growth with minimal visceral surface adhesiveness. A good way to minimize the disadvantages of surgical meshes is to combine synthetic and natural polymers to ensure adequate biomechanical properties, or to design innovative meshes that can replace current hernia meshes. In this study, we have designed polyester (PES) meshes impregnated with chitosan that exhibited increased biocompatibility. These preliminary results pave the way for future ex vivo and in vivo studies.