Preoperative Progressive Pneumoperitoneum Enables Defect Closure and Laparoscopic Repair of Large Parastomal Hernias

Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum (PPP) has not been reported in the management of parastomal hernias; therefore, the present study evaluated its effectiveness in the surgical management of large parastomal hernias.

This prospective, observational study included 23 consecutive patients with large parastomal hernias who underwent PPP between January 2016 and September 2018. The volume of parastomal hernia (VPH), volume of the abdominal cavity (VAC), and the VPH/VAC ratio were measured before and after PPP using abdominal computed tomography scan data. All the hernias were repaired by a laparoscopic or laparoscopic-open-laparoscopic approach using the intraperitoneal Sugarbaker technique.

Before and after PPP, the mean VPH was 1442 and 1581 mL (P<0.01), and the mean VAC was 5667 and 9194 mL (P<0.01). The VAC increased by 3527 mL (P<0.01) and was greater than the mean VPH before PPP. The VPH/VAC ratio after PPP was reduced at an average of 8.1% (P<0.01). Fascial closure was achieved in all patients, with no clinical evidence of elevated intra-abdominal pressures. The mean follow-up was 24 months (13 to 40 mo), and, to date, no hernia recurrences have been reported in these patients.

PPP is a feasible and useful tool in the surgical management of large parastomal hernias. It passively expands the abdominal volumes, thereby resulting in respiratory adaptation to elevated intra-abdominal pressures.