A case controlled study of laparoscopic incisional hernia repair

Background: Although the feasibility of laparoscopic incisional herniorrhaphy has been demonstrated, its advantages over the open technique are still unproven, Methods: Fourteen consecutive laparoscopic incisional hernia repairs were compared with 14 matched controls of the open repair done by the same surgeon at the same institution. The controls were selected by a medical record technician not connected with the study, The cases were selected to match diagnoses, ASA status, and body weight as closely as possible. The outcome data for operating time, blood loss, hospitalization, resumption of oral intake, and postoperative complications were analyzed for statistically significant differences. Results: There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the parameters of blood loss, hospital days, or days to oral intake, The laparoscopic operation took 40% longer. Similar complications were seen in both groups. No mortality or early recurrences occurred in either group. Conclusion: Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair of at least moderate complexity had no demonstrable advantage over the open repair in the present study.