Trans-fascial closure in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair has become widely accepted in the management of incisional hernias. There has been recent interest in combining fascial closure along with mesh placement to improve outcomes. We report our experience with this technique.

Cases were evaluated retrospectively from 2012 to 2015. There were no exclusions. Cases were included which involved laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with fascial closure and mesh placement. Fascial closure was performed using non-absorbable sutures passed with a suture passage device percutaneously. A 5-cm overlap was performed using intra-peritoneal mesh. Fixation was performed using absorbable tacks in a double crown technique.

One hundred and twelve cases were included. The mean age was 57 years old (range 33-81 years). Fifty-nine were females and 53 were males. The median post-operative stay for the non-fascial closure group was 0 days (range 0-12 days). The median post-operative stay for the fascial closure group was 0 days (range 0-12 days). All cases were followed up clinically at 6 weeks. In the non-fascial closure group, five patients developed a seroma (12 %). One patient developed a wound infection (3 %). Six patients presented with a recurrence over the study period (15 %). In the fascial closure group, four patients had a seroma, which was managed conservatively (5 %). One patient developed a wound infection (1 %). Five patients developed a recurrence over the study period (7 %).

We have shown comparable rates for seroma and recurrence to other series. Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair with defect closure is feasible and reduces seroma rate and recurrence.