Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair

ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
MEDIA RELEASE

Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair: An Innovative Technique Using Only 5mm Ports

Tuesday 7 May, 2013

Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair through 5mm port sites with mesh, is a safe, technically feasible and effective procedure with no associated infection and minimal perioperative morbidity, delegates to the 82nd Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons have been told.

Dr Lisa Hong, an intern at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital, reported that laparoscopic repair has been shown to be equal, if not superior, to open hernia repair. She said this new technique involved only 5mm ports and the use of Covidien (PCO) mesh which is soaked and back-loaded through the skin.

“Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair was performed on 137 consecutive patients. A single surgeon performed all operations over 31 months at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and Wesley Hospital,” Dr Hong said.

“Laparoscopic access was achieved via a 5mm optical port and two, or rarely three, 5mm extra ports. The contents of the hernia were reduced and the extraperitoneal fat was excised. Next, 5mm toothed graspers were placed through the lateral port, and then in a retrograde fashion through the uppermost port. A toothed grasper was inserted retrograde into a 5mm port. The port was extracted and the mesh pulled back into the abdominal cavity, and fixed using absorbable tacks or sutures.”

Dr Hong reported that patient follow up was by done by independent phone review. Of the 137 patients, 77 were male and 60 female, with a mean age of 56 years (+/- 14.25 years). The mean area of hernia was 4.90cm2 (+/- 5.33), with a range of 0.79cm2 to 28.27cm2. There were 111 primary repairs and 26 secondary repairs, and a range of 1 to multiple hernias. Mean mesh size diameter used was 11.29cm (+/- 2.86), with a range of 9cm to 20cm.

“Fifty-six cases were day procedures, 72 cases were discharged on day 1 and the rest were discharged on day 2. There was no mortality or major morbidity. Minor complications occurred in 7 patients (4.1%) and the reoccurrence rate was 1.4% on 30 month follow up,” Dr Hong said.

“This data indicates that laparoscopic ventral hernia repair through 5mm port sites with mesh is both safe and effective.”

Approximately 1200 surgeons from New Zealand, Australia and around the world are attending the ASC, which runs from 6 to 10 May and is being held at Auckland’s Skycity/Crowne Plaza Convention Centre.

ENDS

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