Chronic suppuration or infected pseudocyst? A complication of incisional hernia repair with mesh

Abstract

Chronic infections after abdominal wall repairs may present as collections involving the mesh which usually require removing the mesh, while pseudocysts are sterile collections with a thick fibrotic wall that must be removed to achieve healing. We report the case of a 75-year-old female patient with a history incisional hernia repair who sought medical advice due to an abdominal tumor which appeared 6 months before consultation with imaging tests suggestive of an abdominal wall pseudocyst.
Surgery revealed a preperitoneal mesh without tissue integration surrounded by biofilm and cloudy fluid. The mesh was easily removed and the edges of the thick aponeurosis were sutured. The postoperative period evolved uneventful and the fluid culture was positive for staphylococcus aureus sensitive to trimethoprim-sufamethoxazole. Six months later the patient evolved with favorable outcome without recurrence.