The "Inside-out" Technique for Hernia Repair with Mesh Underlay

An improved method for mesh repair of ventral/incisional hernias after component separation is presented. The use of a Carter-Thomason suture passer (Cooper Surgical, http://www.coopersurgical.com) allows for safe passage of preplaced sutures on the mesh from within the abdominal cavity through the anterior rectus sheath. This "inside-out" method makes the underlay of mesh fast and easy by improving visualization and control of sharp instruments as they are passed through the abdominal cavity. Preplacement of sutures circumferentially on the mesh also improves the distribution of tension around the repair, which may ultimately reduce the risk of hernia recurrence.

The "inside-out" technique was performed on 23 patients at a single tertiary academic medical center from November 2011 to February 2014. We have followed these patients for a median of 24.5 months to assess for postoperative complications and hernia recurrence.

We report an acceptable hernia recurrence rate (2 of 23 = 8.7%). One recurrence was observed in a patient who underwent repair of a recurrent ventral hernia and the other had significant loss of domain requiring an inlay mesh.

The "inside-out" technique for ventral hernia repair with a mesh underlay after component separation using a Carter-Thomason suture passer is easy, safe, and reliable. We have observed no hernia recurrence in patients who underwent repair for a primary ventral hernia with an underlay technique.