New Vaginal Mesh Implant Material Could Reduce Complications, Accelerate Healing

Vaginal mesh implants made of polypropylene have caused severe medical complications in millions of women across the world, and medical manufacturers from Johnson & Johnson to Bard, acquired by BD last year, have been mired in lawsuits as a result. Now, scientists at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom have developed an alternative polyurethane material to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence that is better suited for use in the pelvic floor. Moreover, they have embedded the material with estrogen, which is released into the surrounding pelvic tissue to form new blood vessels and accelerate the healing process. The research is published in the Journal of Neurourology and Urodynamics. Polypropylene mesh can be beneficial and carries little risk to the patient when it is used as a thin strip to support the urethra and reduce the symptoms of stress incontinence, said Professor Sheila MacNeil, Professor of Tissue Engineering at the university’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “However, when much bigger areas of the same material are inserted through the vagina to relieve pelvic organ prolapse, the complication rate is frankly unacceptable. Surgeons who are experts in this area have concluded that there is a need for a new synthetic material that is better suited for use in the pelvic floor. We started our research because it was clear that the polypropylene mesh was not fit for use in the pelvic floor,” said MacNeil in an article o...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Tags: Plastics Today Source Type: news