Dynamic self-regulating prosthesis (protesi autoregolantesi dinamica): the long-term results in the treatment of primary inguinal hernias.

The dynamic self-regulating prosthesis (protesi autoregolantesi dinamica, PAD) is a double-layered prosthesi, in use since 1992 in inguinal hernia repair. In 1999, we published the short-term results on 500 patients and herein we report the long-term follow-up. Five hundred eighty-five PAD procedures were performed on 500 adult male, unselected patients. Hernias were unilateral in 415 patients, were bilateral in 85 patients, were direct in 197 patients (33.7%), were indirect in 269 patients (46.0%), and were combined in 119 patients (20.3%). Four hundred sixty-four patients were alive at the follow-up period of minimum 5 years, whereas 36 died (7.2%) of causes unrelated to the hernia. No information was available on 73 patients (14.6%). Therefore, the follow-up was consisted of 391 patients (78.2%) with 469 hernias. The recurrence and testicular atrophy rates were nil. Three patients (0.77%) presented chronic pain and 18 (4.6%) suffered persistent discomfort or paresthesia. A hydrocoele was observed in one patient (0.2%). The long-term data confirm the efficacy of the dynamic self-regulating posthesis hernioplasty. We propose it as a standard of care in all cases of primary inguinal hernia in adult males, retaining it as a definitive and comfortable solution.