Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering 29 (2018) 147–158 147 DOI 10.3233/BME-171719 IOS Press Investigation of mechanical compatibility of hernia meshes and human abdominal fascia Miglena Doneva a,b,∗ and Dessislava Pashkouleva b a Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Sofia, 2Dunav Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria b Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 4, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria Received 11 July 2017 Accepted 2 November 2017 Abstract. OBJECTIVE: Understanding the biomechanical properties of hernia meshes is essential in facilitating their selection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanical compatibility of hernia meshes and human abdominal fascia and assess their applicability in hernia repair. METHODS: Uniaxial tensile tests were performed. A total of eight hernia meshes were tested – three standard meshes (Surgimesh ® , Surgipro™, TecnoMesh ® ) and five light-weight meshes (Optilene ® , TiO 2 Mesh™, Parietex™, Vypro™ II, Ul- trapro™). RESULTS: The secant modulus at 5% strain and the level of orthotropy (the ratio between tensile stress in the longitudinal and the transversal direction) at 5% strain were calculated from the stress–stretch ratio curves. The impact of pore size and thickness on the elastic properties of these meshes was determined. The relationships between density and elasticity as well as between elasticity and the strain developed at 16 N/cm load were presented. The resulting mechanical properties of meshes were compared to the elasticity, orthotropy and deformability of human abdominal fascia. CONCLUSIONS: Vypro™ II and Parietex™ brands display properties similar to those of fascia in both directions. The TiO 2 Mesh™ and Ultrapro™ display deformability close to the deformability at 16 N/cm of the fascia transversalis. Only the Vypro™ II brand’s orthotropy is similar to that of fascia. Keywords: Hernia meshes, human abdominal fascia, mechanical behavior, structural characterization 1. Introduction The use of mesh grafts is a standard method in abdominal wall hernia repairs. Numerous hernia meshes are currently used in the surgical practice to augment the abdominal wall. It is extremely difficult for surgeons to select the appropriate mesh because of the large number of meshes available in the clin- ical practice. There are synthetic, organic, nonabsorbable, partially absorbable, absorbable and coated meshes manufactured by various methods, using polymers of various pores, density and thickness. In the work of Coda et al. 166 hernia meshes were considered for classification depending on their biomaterial properties, while Klinge et al. reported for more than 300 brands of hernia meshes. Some 50 new mesh designs are launched in the market each year [1,2]. * Corresponding author: Miglena Doneva, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Sofia, 2 Dunav Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. Tel.: 0359 8896 572 331; Fax: 0359 02 9236 584; E-mail: miglena_doneva@abv.bg. 0959-2989/18/$35.00 © 2018 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved