[Anthropometric measurements of the male inguinal canal]. / Misure antropometriche del canale inguinale maschile.

BACKGROUND: A problem in the use of a prosthesis in the treatment of inguinal hernia is the form and dimension the mesh should have. There are no precise indications in the international literature and manufactured pre-cut prostheses available are not always suitable for all patients. In this study some measurements within the male inguinal canal have been compared with the patients' physical characteristics, such as weight, height and body mass index, and with inguinal hernia too. The purpose was to look for a relation between these data, in order to establish the form and size of the ideal mesh prosthesis for every patient before operation. A "list" of different prosthesis sizes could help both the surgeon and the manufacturers. METHODS: The study was carried out on 150 male patients who underwent surgery for inguinal hernia. RESULTS: The analysis of the results does not demonstrate a relationship between the data examined. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion is drawn that there could be two solutions to the problem of mesh size: one being the expensive prepacking of meshes of various sizes, and the cheaper one being to find out a method which, not considering the internal ring variability, will not influence the production of a universal mesh.