Less Pain Intensity After
Lichtenstein-Repair by
Using BioGlue™ for Mesh Fixation
Andreas Bär, MD
Assistant Physician
Thorsten Sauer, MD
Assistant Physician
Nicholas Bohnert, MD
Assistant Medical Director
Peter E. Goretzki, MD
Head of Department, Professor
Bernhard J. Lammers, MD
Chief Operating Doctor of
Coloproctology and Hernia
Department of General Surgery, Abdominal Surgery, Thorax and Vascular Surgery, Coloproctology, and Hernia Surgery
Lukaskrankenhaus GmbH, Germany
A pre-trial was conducted to investigate the reliability of using the surgical adhesive, BioGlueÔ (CryoLife®, Inc., Kennesaw, Georgia, USA) for mesh fixation in Lichtenstein repair of inguinal hernia. From February to August 2008, 60 patients with unilateral inguinal hernia underwent a Lichtenstein repair. In 30 of the patients, BioGlueÔ was used for mesh fixation and in the other 30 cases a conventional suture was used. The patients were sorted into two groups (BioGlueÔ-group and suture-group). No differences were noted in demographic characteristics. The main criteria for dropout were incarceration, relapse, operation, and/or scrotal hernia. Twenty-four hours postoperative, pain intensity was measured with a numeric analogous scale (NAS) that reached from 0 (no pain) to 10 (heavy pain). The pain intensity in the BioGlueÔ-group was 2.4 points and 4.3 points in the suture-group. The cut-suture time was 30 minutes in the BioGlueÔ-group and 56 minutes in the suture-group. In the first nine months, no relapses, no mesh infections, nor serom-formations were reported; however, one superficial wound infection did occur in the BioGlueÔ-group. Lichtenstein-repair using BioGlueÔ for mesh-fixation is a safe, new method without early recurrences and less pain-intensity in relation to suture-supported Lichtenstein repair.