Laparoscopic parastomal hernia repair: a description of the technique and initial results

In this study, the authors review their initial results with the laparoscopic approach for parastomal hernia repair. Between 2006 and 2007, 4 patients were treated laparoscopically at our institution. The hernia sac was not excised. A piece of Gore-Tex DualMesh with a central keyhole and a radial incision was cut so that it could provide at least 3 to 5 cm of overlap of the fascial defect. The mesh was secured to the margins of the hernia with circumferential metal tacking and trans-fascial sutures. No complications occurred in the postoperative period. After a median follow-up of 9 months, recurrence occurred in 1 patient. This was our first patient in whom mesh fixation was performed only with circumferential metal tacking. The laparoscopic repair of parastomal hernias seems to be a safe, feasible and promising technique offering the advantages of minimally-invasive surgery. The success of this approach depends on longer follow-up reports and standardization of the technical elements.