Mesh migration: an insidious yet significant complication of hernia repair

Abstract

The aim of this case report was to present an unusual presentation of abdominal pain in a patient who had a previous laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
Although uncommon, mesh migration is an increasingly recognised complication occurring through a number of different mechanisms. Primary migration occurs when an inadequately secured mesh traverses along adjoining paths of least resistance or when a secure mesh is displaced by external forces. Secondary migration occurs through trans-anatomical planes and results from erosions triggered by the body’s own immune reaction towards a foreign body.