Incisional hernia treatment with polypropylene graft: results of 10 years

Purpose: To report herein our results of tension-free repair of large incisional hernia with polypropylene mesh using a modification of the method that was described by Usher. Method: Two hundred ninety-one patients who were operated on between January 1994 and December 2004 were studied. Two hundred thirty-two patients were female (79.7%), and 59 were male (20.3%). The average follow-up period was 55 months. The patients were evaluated for infection, recurrences, hematoma and seroma formation, sinuses and enterocutaneous fistula formation. Results: Infection was observed in eight patients (2.7%). Graft removal due to infection was encountered only in two patients (0.6%). Recurrence was observed in six patients (2.1%). Two patients (0.6%) developed hematoma while another two developed seroma. No patient developed enterocutaneous fistula. Conclusion: By using our modified technique wecan decrease the expected complications after tension-free repair of large incisional hernias. © Springer-Verlag 2006

To the editor [4] (multiple letters)

[No abstract available

Thyroid peroxidase gene mutations causing congenital hypothyroidism in three Turkish families

In Turkey congenital hypothyroidism (CH) occurs with a prevalence of one in 2,736 newborns while the worldwide incidence is one in 3,000-4,000 newborns. 85-90% of these cases are due to dysgenesis of the thyroid gland, whereas defects in thyroid hormone synthesis account for 10-15%. The majority of patients with dyshormonogenesis have a defect in thyroid peroxidase (TPO). To date, more than 60 different mutations have been described in the TPO gene, mostly single nucleotide substitutions. Five children from three consanguineous families were diagnosed with CH on the basis of clinical symptoms and signs - goiter, macroglossia and prolonged jaundice at newborn age. Two different mutations in the TPO gene were identified. Affected children in families I and II had a nonsense mutation in exon 10 (R540X). Genotyping of polymorphic markers within the TPO gene revealed that these families shared a common haplotype, suggesting a founder effect. In the third family, a novel mutation (G319R) in exon 8 was identified. © Freund Publishing House Ltd