The biology behind fascial defects and the use of implants in pelvic organ prolapse repair.

Implant materials are increasingly being used in an effort to reduce recurrence after prolapse repair with native tissues. Surgeons should be aware of the biology behind both the disease as well as the host response to various implants. We will discuss insights into the biology behind hernia and abdominal fascial defects. Those lessons from "herniology" will, wherever possible, be applied to pelvic organ prolapse (POP) problems. Then we will deal with available animal models, for both the underlying disease and surgical repair. Then we will go over the features of implants and describe how the host responds to implantation. Methodology of such experiments will be briefly explained for the clinician not involved in experimentation. As we discuss the different materials available on the market, we will summarize some results of recent experiments by our group.