Laparoscopic-assisted primary repair of a complicated ventral incisional hernia

Postoperative wound dehiscence is a difficult problem for the general surgeon. Often, patients are too sick, or the wound environment is too hostile, to undergo primary repair. When an eventual repair is performed, a variety of methods are available, but most are associated with unacceptably high morbidity rates, specifically high incidences of recurrences and poor cosmetic outcome. We present here a case of postoperative wound dehiscence following a colostomy takedown repaired in a previously undescribed way--a laparoscopically assisted ventral incisional hernia repair. The method of repair is described, and the current literature regarding alternatives is reviewed.