Mesh repair of incisional hernia: comparison of laparoscopic and open repair.
OBJECTIVE
To compare our results of open and laparoscopic mesh repair of incisional hernias.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
Teaching hospitals, The Netherlands.


METHODS
All patients who had had a laparoscopic (n = 25) or an open (n = 76) mesh repair of incisional hernia between January 1996 and January 2000.


METHODS
Physical examination at the time of the study.


METHODS
Morbidity and recurrence.


RESULTS
The groups were comparable. 11 patients (14%) developed postoperative infections after open repair and 1 (4%) after laparoscopic repair (p = 0.29). Median hospital stay was 5 days (range 1-19) in the open group and 4 (range 1-11) in the laparoscopic group (p = 0.28). The 2-year cumulative incidence of recurrence was 18% after open repair (median follow-up of 17 months (range 1-46) and 15% after laparoscopic repair (median follow-up of 15 months, range 1-44). Recurrences in the laparoscopic group were all among the first 7 cases in which the mesh was fixed with staples alone.


CONCLUSIONS
There were fewer infections and hospital stay was shorter in the laparoscopic group, but not significantly so. Recurrence rates were comparable.
van't
Riet M
RM
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam--Dijkzigt, Department of Surgery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Vrijland
W W
WW
Lange
J F
JF
Hop
W C J
WC
Jeekel
J
J
Bonjer
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006555:Hernia, Ventral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology