Laparoscopic versus open incisional hernia repair: an open randomized controlled study.

Area of Science:

• Abdominal Surgery
• Hernia Repair
• Minimally Invasive Procedures

Background:

• Incisional hernia is a frequent surgical complication.
• It leads to significant patient morbidity and healthcare costs.
• This study compares laparoscopic and open incisional hernia repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic versus anterior-open incisional hernia repair.
• To evaluate operative time, hospitalization, return to work, and complication rates.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 170 patients with incisional hernias.
• 85 patients underwent laparoscopic repair (LG) and 85 underwent anterior-open repair (OG).
• Median follow-up was 24 months for both groups.

Main Results:

• Laparoscopic repair had significantly shorter operative times (61.0 min vs 150.9 min) and hospitalizations (2.7 days vs 9.9 days).
• Patients in the LG group returned to work faster (13 days vs 25 days).
• Complication rates were lower in the LG group (16.4% vs 29.4%), with similar relapse rates (2.3% vs 1.1%).

Conclusions:

• Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair demonstrates shorter operative time, hospitalization, and faster return to work.
• It is associated with a lower incidence of wound infections and major complications compared to open repair.
• Further studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these short-term findings.