Prosthetic Biomaterials in the Laparoscopic Repair of Incisional and Ventral Hernias

Incisional hernias will develop in approximately 11–13% of laparotomy incisions. The risk of herniation is increased by fivefold if a postoperative wound infection occurs. Other factors that predispose to the development of a fascial defect include obesity, poor nutritional status, steroid usage, etc. While some of these may be avoided, those patients that are found to have such a hernia can present difficult management problems due to the high potential for recurrence. Without the use of a prosthetic biomaterial, the recurrence rate is as high as 51% (1, 2). The use of a synthetic prosthetic material will reduce this rate to 10–24% (3,4).