Incisional hernia repair following pancreatic surgery-open vs laparoscopic approach

Area of Science:

• Abdominal Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Hernia Repair

Background:

• Pancreatic surgery, often involving transverse or midline approaches, is associated with increased morbidity.
• Patients undergoing pancreatic surgery face a higher risk of developing incisional hernias.
• The Herniamed Registry collects prospective data on hernia operations, including outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze incisional hernia surgery outcomes specifically for patients with a history of pancreatic surgery.
• To compare the effectiveness of minimally invasive versus open techniques for incisional hernia repair post-pancreatic surgery.
• To evaluate perioperative complications and 1-year follow-up results in the Herniamed Registry.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the Herniamed Registry.
• Inclusion of patients who underwent incisional hernia repair after pancreatic surgery.
• Comparison of outcomes between minimally invasive and open repair techniques, including complication rates and recurrence at 1 year.

Main Results:

• A small proportion (0.64%) of incisional hernia patients in the registry had prior pancreatic surgery.
• Open repair was more common (82.9%) than minimally invasive repair (17.1%).
• No significant differences were observed in perioperative complications or 1-year follow-up outcomes between open and minimally invasive repair methods.

Conclusions:

• Incisional hernias occurring after complex pancreatic surgery can be effectively managed using both open and minimally invasive repair techniques.
• Both surgical approaches demonstrate safety and achieve low recurrence rates.
• These findings support the use of either technique based on patient and surgeon factors.