Open versus Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair. Prospective Trial

Ventral hernias include both primary abdominal wall defects and incisional hernias. More than 80% of adult ventral hernias are incisional hernias. (1) The incidence of incisional hernias after laparotomy is between 2 and 20%. (2,3,4) Primary repair of ventral hernias has been met with poor results. Recurrence rates vary anywhere from 20% to as high as 52%. (3,5,6,7) In a search to improve recurrence rates, multiple techniques have been developed including the fascia lata technique, the Mayo overlap technique, the Maingot’s keel procedure and the Nuttall procedure. (3,5) These repairs were reportedly more successful than simple primary repairs but the rates of recurrence remained unacceptably high.