Experimental models of longitudinal abdominal incisional hernia in rats

ABSTRACT

Absominal incisional hernias in rats has been produced resection of a segment of abdominal muscle. In an attempt to create a model of incisional hernia in rats, without resection of abdominal muscle, the following surgical procedures were performed: (a) Ratas anesthetized with ether were submitted to a 4 cm long median incision, supra and infraumbilical, followed by dissection of the subcutaneous tissue 1.5 cm laterally to the median line in each side: after, one incision was performed in the linea alba and peritoneum, with the same extension of the skin incision; the skin incision was sutured. (b) Rats were submitted to a suprapubic transveersal incision and a scissors introduced through this incision and used to dissect the subcutaneous tissue at least 1.5 cm for each side of median line; after, the linea alba and peritoneum were incised and the transversal skin sncision sutured. (c) For control, rats were submitted to a resection of a 2.5 x 4 cm of the abdominal muscles, creating a large defect in the abdominal wall. All the animal, submitted to the three different procedures, developed smiliar well constituted hernias. We concluded that abdominal incisonal hernias are easily induced in rats after an incision of the abdominal wall, without partial resection of abdominal muscle, since the subcutaneous have been dissected at least 1.5 cm laterally to the median line.