materials Review Polymer Hernia Repair Materials: Adapting to Patient Needs and Surgical Techniques Marta Rodríguez 1,2,3, Verónica Gómez-Gil 1,2 ,Bárbara Pérez-Köhler 2,3,4 , Gemma Pascual 2,3,4 and Juan Manuel Bellón 1,2,3,* 1 Departamento de Cirugía, Ciencias Médicas y Sociales, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain;
[email protected] (M.R.);
[email protected] (V.G.-G.) 2 Biomedical Networking Research Centre of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, España;
[email protected] (B.P.-K.);
[email protected] (G.P.) 3 Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Colmenar Viejo, 28034 Madrid, Spain 4 Departamento de Medicina y Especialidades Médicas, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Biomaterials and their applications are perhaps among the most dynamic areas of research within the field of biomedicine. Any advance in this topic translates to an improved quality of life for recipient patients. One application of a biomaterial is the repair of an abdominal wall defect whether congenital or acquired. In the great majority of cases requiring surgery, the defect takes the form of a hernia. Over the past few years, biomaterials designed with this purpose in mind have been gradually evolving in parallel with new developments in the different surgical techniques. In consequence, the classic polymer prosthetic materials have been the starting point for structural modifications or new prototypes that have always strived to accommodate patients’ needs.