TT- duramesh. Can you tell me the pros and cons of this suture material? Mesh in general makes me nervous for DR repair.

A three and half inch diastasis is three times larger than the umbilical hernia, and a suture repair of the umbilical hernia will be sufficient given that it will be buried under the diastasis repair. Mesh is only indicated for large abdominal wall hernias, not minor umbilical ones.

Thank you for your question. Photos would've been helpful. Umbilical hernia repair is often done with an abdominoplasty. I personally do not use mesh in someone who is young, has good tissues and minimal to no intraabdominal fat. Currently, most people use a dissolvable mesh, I do not believe that anyone still uses the Marlex mesh which got horrible complications. As a Total Definer surgeon, I approach the body in 3D as opposed to a 2D tummy tuck only. A lot of contouring is done with liposuction in conjunction with a tummy tuck and +/- fat transfer. See a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in advanced body sculpting techniques for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck. See the enclosed reference.

As you know, mesh for hernia repairs can often cause problems at a later date.

So....this Duramesh is a new material (it's a "mesh suture") and my general take on new produicts for permanent impanation in patients is it to let them be used a few years, and wait for any possible complications. There is zero published research on it's use in tummy tuck/hernia repair at this point.

In my practice, I do use permanent sutures for all my muscle repairs, including those with small to medium sized hernias. After 25 years and over 1000 tummy tucks, I've had perhaps 4 patients total who have rejected the sutures

Duramesh is a type of mesh used in tummy tucks and hernia repairs. Pros include added support for tissue and reduced tension on sutures, aiding in healing. However, cons may involve potential complications like infection or inflammation, and it may not be suitable for everyone. Discussing concerns with your surgeon is crucial to make an informed decision based on your specific situation and medical history.

There are two basic kinds of mesh. One mesh is made of dissolvable sutures and it is designed to hold up to about 18 months. It is used for reinforcement until scar tissue can grow into its place, but not for actual repair. The second mesh, used for hernias, is permanent sutures so they will stay since your own tissue is thin and/or lacking and the ability to form good scar tissue in that area is weak.

Actually just finished a similar case using Durasorb just today. Durasorb is made out of material (polyester filaments) with decades of clinical use, just in a slightly different form. It has a very small footprint compared to traditional mesh sheets and wouldn't be palpable in this context. It was actually designed in response to the tendency of traditional sutures to cheese wire, with the idea the wider surface area distributes point tension better.

Not everyone needs permanent sutures or mesh placement on abdominal wall surgery and diastasis, but there are some people that don't maintain the result as well with dissolving PDS sutures for the repair. Having done cases with several different types of mesh sutures, they appear to work well and be well tolerated

In my experience as both a general surgeon and a plastic/ reconstructive surgeon, your hernia is small enough that it does not require any type of mesh to be repaired while you are having your diastasis repair and tummy tuck.