LIRA Technique Versus IPOM Plus for Laparoscopic Repair of Ventral Hernia: An Observational Comparative Analysis

Background: The aim of this study is to compare the postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic intracorporeal rectus aponeuroplasty (LIRA) technique with the defect closure technique using sutures and intraperitoneal mesh (IPOM plus), evaluating recurrence and bulging rates at least one year postoperatively. The secondary objective is to compare postoperative complications: seroma and pain at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year post-surgery. Methods: Patients with midline primary ventral and incisional hernias between 4 and 10 cm were included. A CT scan was performed on all patients to assess the correct spatial values preoperatively and at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively. Pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale. Results: A total of 50 patients underwent LIRA, and 48 patients underwent IPOM plus between January 2022 and May 2023. The mean defect area in the LIRA group was larger than in the IPOM plus group (63.5 ± 37.5 cm² versus 55.2 ± 33.9 cm²). In the LIRA group, 2/48 instances of bulging (4.4%) occurred, whereas in the IPOM plus group, there were 6/50 instances of bulging (21.3%) and 2/50 recurrences (6.4%). One month post-surgery, a clinical seroma was observed in 8/48 patients (16%) and 9/50 patients (18.7%) in the LIRA and IPOM plus groups, respectively, with complete resolution at 6 months. Postoperative pain was found to be lower in the LIRA group. Conclusions: In this study, the LIRA technique demonstrated lower rates of bulging, recurrence, and postoperative pain compared with IPOM plus at 1 year of follow-up. Further multicentric prospective studies with a larger patient sample and longer follow-up are necessary to draw definitive conclusions.