biomaterials-materials-physics-2019-keynote

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May 20-21, 2019 | Vienna, Austria
Biomaterials and Nanomaterials &
Materials Physics and Materials Science
2nd International Conference on
Page 42
Journal of Materials Science and Nanotechnology | Volume 3
Silvia Todros
University of Padova, Italy
Biocompatibility of synthetic surgical meshes for abdominal wall
repair: An integrated experimental-computational approach
Synthetic meshes are frequently adopted for surgical
repair of abdominal hernia. Their role should be
to strengthen impaired muscles, but without reducing
physiological abdominal compliance. Even if mesh surgical
procedures are well consolidated, recurrence rate is
moderate and adverse effects, including infections, pain
and discomfort, are still present. Synthetic meshes are
available on the market with different materials and
structural characteristics, which affect the interaction
with surrounding biological tissues and the consequent
biocompatibility of the implant. The research activity
presented in this work is aimed at providing experimental
and computational tools to support the choice of suitable
prostheses for hernia repair, according to patient-specific
clinical conditions and, in general, to optimize mesh design
for abdominal wall repair. In detail, the proposed research
moves from the study of mesh materials and structural
properties for a compatibility evaluation, providing
criteria to the design of prostheses. For this purpose,
physicochemical characterization of polymers used in
the manufacturing and mesh morphological analysis are
carried out. Mechanical tests are performed, according
to suitable protocols selected to mimic in vivo loading
conditions. Synthetic meshes follow a non-linear stress-
strain behavior, with mechanical characteristics showing
different levels of anisotropy, according to the type of
mesh. The mechanical response of surgical meshes is
described through appropriate constitutive models and
parameters, for the implementation in the framework of
in silico models. Different numerical models of abdominal
wall are developed, including passive and activemechanical
properties of abdominal tissues and taking into account
different levels of intra-abdominal pressure, corresponding
to different motor tasks. Hernia occurrence and surgical
repair via synthetic meshes can be simulated. Numerical
analyses are carried out to evaluate the biomechanical
performance of surgical meshes and their interaction with
biological tissues.
Speaker Biography
Silvia Todros is assistant professor in industrial bioengineering at
University of Padova, Italy. She received . in materials science from
the University of Padova in 2005 and PhD in materials engineering at
the University of Brescia in 2010. She has been visiting researcher at
Cranfield University (Bedford, UK) in smart materials laboratory. Her
research activity is mainly aimed at the evaluation of the functional
response of biomedical devices and prostheses based on polymeric
material, through the characterization of their physicochemical and
mechanical properties. She is the author of more than thirty papers in
scientific international journals.
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