The Omental Plug: A Novel Management Approach of Concomitant Ventral Hernias During Bariatric Surgery

Severe obesity leads to a higher incidence of ventral hernias, thus complicating up to 8% of bariatric procedures. The optimal management of these hernias continues to be a controversial topic. We present our novel approach of utilizing an omental plug for concomitant ventral hernia management during metabolic surgery.

To prevent early bowel incarceration and obstruction during bariatric surgery, we sutured the omentum circumferentially to the edges of the hernia defect and to the hernia sac itself with absorbable suture.

Four patients were managed with this novel omental plug technique. All patients were female. The mean age was 53 years (range 39 to 68 y), the mean body-mass index was 54.75 kg/m 2 (range 49 to 59 kg/m 2 ), and the mean follow-up was 4.6 months (range 1.5 to 6.5 mo). There were no hernia-related complications through the follow-up period.

The omental plug technique is a feasible, inexpensive, and safe alternative for ventral hernias with the potential prevention of bowel incarceration during bariatric surgery. This approach allows deferring the definitive hernia repair for a later stage.