Repair of large incisional hernias with multiple small relaxing incisions technique

We report our results in repairing wide incisional hernial defects without using any prosthetic synthetic material, but expanding rectus sheaths by multiple small, 8 to 10 mm, relaxing incisions. In this way, hernial defect becomes smaller and fascial flaps are sutured to each other in an overlapping manner. These relaxing incisions are filled with collagenous connective tissue, and consequently do not cause any abdominal wall weakness. This procedure was performed on 32 patients with hernial defect of 4 x 4 cm to 15 x 15 cm. Mean hospital stay was 6, 8 days. In the follow-up period ranging from 5 to 42 months, no patient presented recurrence of the hernia. Rectus diastasis occurred in one patient who had been operated five times previously. Wound complication such as infection, seroma, haematoma developed in 9 of the patients, and were successfully treated by wound drainage and administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy. The findings of this study led us to conclude that the technique can be used in the repair of incisional hernias as an alternative technique.