[Application of "MILOS concept" in ventral hernia repair]

Direct suture repair with mesh reinforcement is the main surgical procedure in ventral hernia repair. The best place for mesh implantation is retromuscular space which means sublay. The most commonly used techniques are open sublay and laparoscopic IPOM repair. But open sublay repair may cause more trauma to the abdominal wall and result in more infections. Laparoscopic IPOM repair carries an increased risk in bowel injury, mesh-related complications and postoperative pain. Germany surgeon Reinpold developed a new technique defined as "MILOS concept" by combining the advantages of open sublay and laparoscopic IPOM repair. This technique uses mini or less incision hybrid with endoscopic technique to accomplish minimally invasive sublay repair. The MILOS operation has the advantages of less operative trauma, fewer postoperative complications, low recurrence rate and high economic efficiency. "MILOS concept" has been applied with several modifications by using endoscopic technique (EMILOS and eTEP) or robotic surgery. This new minimal invasive ventral hernia repair technique is accepted and applied in clinical practice by most surgeons worldwide. Several literatures already reported that this procedure had very good surgical outcomes, and confirmed its value in further popularization.