BACKGROUND: The use of surgical meshes for the repair of abdominal wall defects has been increasing its share in surgeries worldwide. AIM: To study two different surgical meshes (Proceed® and Ultrapro®) on the healing of defects produced in abdominal wall of rats evaluating the macroscopic, microscopic and tensiometric parameters. METHOD: Thirty two Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 16 animals and four groups of eight animals euthanized within 15 and 30 days for evaluation. The macroscopic variables were: the presence of hematoma at the edges of the sutures of the surgical mesh in the abdominal wall; the knitting of the surgical mesh and the edge of the wound; presence of infection at the surgical site; presence of viscera fistulas on the surgical mesh; presence of adhesions in the abdominal cavity; presence of incisional hernia. During microscopy the stages of the inflammatory process of healing where evaluated, and tensiometry evaluated the tensile force required to rupture the material. RESULTS: The knitting of the mesh and the edge of the surgical wound was better in the 15 days Ultrapro subgroup than in the 15 days Proceed subgroup; within 30 days the knitting was similar in both subgroups. There was no significant difference for the variable of macroscopy. Both groups in both periods had the same proportion of cases with chronic inflammation, but there were higher scores of inflammation in the 15 days Ultrapro subgroup than the 30 days Ultrapro subgroup. The subgroup 15 days Ultrapro showed greater rupture strength than the subgroup 15 days Proceed, but in 30 days there were no difference. Ultrapro showed equal rupture strength in both periods, but 30 days Proceed showed greater rupture strength than 15 days Proceed. CONCLUSION: The meshes are similar in variables.
Surgical Mesh; Tissue Adhesions; Hernia; abdominal
