Laparoscopic-assisted Ventral Hernia Repair: Primary Fascial Repair with Polyester Mesh versus Polyester Mesh Alone

Laparoscopic-assisted ventral hernia repair (LAVHR) with mesh is well established as the preferred technique for hernia repair. We sought to determine whether primary fascial closure and/or overlap of the mesh reduced recurrence and/or complications. We conducted a retrospective review on 57 LAVHR patients using polyester composite mesh between August 2010 and July 2013. They were divided into mesh-only (nonclosure) and primary fascial closure with mesh (closure) groups. Patient demographics, prior surgical history, mesh overlap, complications, and recurrence rates were compared. Thirty-nine (68%) of 57 patients were in the closure group and 18 (32%) in the nonclosure group. Mean defect sizes were 15.5 and 22.5 cm(2), respectively. Participants were followed for a mean of 1.3 years [standard deviation (SD) = 0.7]. Recurrence rates were 2/39 (5.1%) in the closure group and 1/18 (5.6%) in the nonclosure group (P = 0.947). There were no major postoperative complications in the nonclosure group. The closure group experienced four (10.3%) complications. This was not a statistically significant difference (P = 0.159). The median mesh-to-hernia ratio for all repairs was 15.2 (surface area) and 3.9 (diameter). Median length of stay was 14.5 hours (1.7-99.3) for patients with nonclosure and 11.9 hours (6.9-90.3 hours) for patients with closure (P = 0.625). In conclusion, this is one of the largest series of LAVHR exclusively using polyester dual-sided mesh. Our recurrence rate was about 5 per cent. Significant mesh overlap is needed to achieve such low recurrence rates. Primary closure of hernias seems less important than adequate mesh overlap in preventing recurrence after LAVHR.