Complete migration of a composite mesh into small bowel incidentally found during laparotomy for colectomy in an asymptomatic patient: a case report

BACKGROUND: Composite meshes are used for incisional hernia repair because they enable intraperitoneal mesh placement due to their dorsal surface, which is made of inert material. We report, for the first time, to our knowledge, a case of composite mesh migration detected incidentally during a laparotomy for colon cancer in an asymptomatic patient. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient was a 71-year-old South Asian man who underwent ventral mesh repair following a postoperative complication after right hemicolectomy for colon cancer. The patient was diagnosed with a metachronous sigmoid cancer 5 years later, for which he underwent laparotomy. During laparotomy, a migrated mesh was incidentally found and extracted from his proximal ileum without any evidence of abscess or fistula formation. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of an incidentally found migrated composite mesh from a bowel lumen in an asymptomatic patient.