Structural and thermal properties of polypropylene mesh used in treatment of stress urinary incontinence

• Autor(a) principal: Afonso, José Sebastião [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Jorge, Renato Natal, Martins, Pedro Alexandre Lopes de Sousa, Soldi, Marly da Silveira, Alves, Oswaldo Luiz, Patricio, Belmiro, Mascarenhas, Teresa, Sartori, Marair Gracio Ferreira [UNIFESP], Girão, Manoel João Batista Castello [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.unifesp.br/11600/42006; http://www.actabio.pwr.wroc.pl/Vol11No3/4.pdf
• topic: polypropylene mesh; stress urinary incontinence; stiffness

Besides material biocompatibility, it is possible to infer that both vaginal and urethral erosion rates associated with sub-urethral synthetic slings may be related to the mechanical properties of the meshes and also to their other properties. With the aim of understanding what distinguishes the different polypropylene meshes, used for the treatment of the stress urinary incontinence (SUI), their structural and thermal properties were investigated. Five different mesh types were tested (Aris (TM), Auto Suture (TM), Avaulta (TM), TVTO (TM) and Uretex (TM)). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests were performed. Furthermore, geometry (electron microscope), linear density and relative density (pyknometer) of the meshes were investigated. The meshes are made of the isotactic polypropylene homopolymer. Aris (TM) mesh presented the smallest fibre diameter, linear density and the level of crystallinity among all the meshes used for the treatment of the SUI. This study shows that there is a direct relationship between the fibre diameter, linear density, level of crystallinity and flexural stiffness of the polypropylene meshes used for the treatment of the SUI.