COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF MODIFIED 8 TECNIQUE AND THE CLASSICAL REPAIR METHOD ON HEALING IN THE RAT ABDOMINAL HERNIA MODEL

Abstract

The treatment of hernias varies according to the region, type, and tissue involved. There have been numerous studies on different treatment methods. The objective of this study was to compare the modified 8-suture technique with the standard suture technique in a rat abdominal hernia model. Fourteen adult male albino Wistar rats were used in this study. The animals were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group and the experimental group. Initially, an experimental abdominal hernia was created. The paramedian line was selected as the site for the skin incision. After the skin incision, the subcutaneous connective tissue was removed, and the ventral abdominal muscles were dissected bluntly to create a 3 cm hernia opening. In the control group, simple standard sutures were used for hernia repair. In the study group, the hernial orifice was closed using the modified figure-of-8 technique, followed by simple sutures to close the skin. On postoperative day 21, the animals were euthanized using CO₂. Histopathological analysis revealed that the modified 8-suture technique resulted in less pronounced fibrosis associated with inflammatory changes, decreased areas of necrosis and tissue loss, increased connective tissue around the region, and higher collagen development compared to the standard suture technique. Fibrosis formation was more evident and frequent in the control group with normal sutures, but collagen formation was lower. In conclusion, the data obtained from this study indicate that the modified 8-suture technique provides more effective closure of the hernial ring compared to simple sutures, and the regeneration process is faster than with the standard suture technique. This technique could be considered as an alternative to traditional suture applications for hernias that are large enough to affect the wound line.