Laparoscopically assisted approach for postoperative ventral hernia repair

Background: The laparoscopic approach to incisional hernia repair is already well established because of its advantages. We evaluated the possibility of using a laparoscopically assisted approach whenever conversion to open repair was considered. Patients and Methods: We operated laparoscopically on 62 patients for postoperative ventral hernia (POVH), seven of whom had undergone laparoscopically assisted repair. The reasons for considering conversion were mainly technical difficulties in adhesiolysis and hernia reduction, and the suspected possibility of intestinal injury during dissection. The assisted approach included creation of a short incision over the fascial defect, exploration of the hernia contents and correction of any intestinal injury, completion of adhesiolysis, closure of the abdominal cavity, and laparoscopic accomplishment of the repair. Results: Following open exploration, two iatrogenic intestinal perforations and one serosal injury were found and repaired. In four cases, only the completion of adhesiolysis was necessary. The post-operative convalescence was uneventful, and no recurrence has been recorded to date. Conclusions: The laparoscopically assisted approach to difficult POVH repair is feasible and safe, and it helps to preserve the advantages of the laparoscopic approach. We recommend this approach whenever conversion to open surgical repair is under consideration during laparoscopic repair.