Complications of laparoscopic incisional-ventral hernia repair - The experience of a single institution

Background: Laparoscopic incisional-ventral hernia repair (LIVH) is used with increasing frequency for the morbidly obese and for complex and recurrent hernias. The experience of a single institution with this technique is reviewed and the findings and complications are presented. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for a single surgeon's series of patients undergoing LIVH at the institution described in this report. Results: The review showed a complication rate of 15.2%, a recurrence rate of 2%, and a prosthetic infection rate of 2%. Patients with a body mass index greater than 30 cm/m(2) accounted for 73% of the complications and made up 62.2% of the patients. Conclusions: The LIVH procedure may be safely performed with low complication and recurrence rates even for the obese, allowing ventral hernia repair to be performed safely with good results. The LIVH technique should be considered for the repair of all incisional and ventral hernias requiring repair with a mesh prosthesis.