LAPAROSCOPIC AND OPEN INCISIONAL HERNIA REPAIR - A COMPARISON STUDY

Background. Techniques for performing laparoscopic incisional hernia r epair have been described and some advantages over conventional open r epair reported. However; most reported series of laparoscopic incision al hernia procedures are small, and only one has included a comparison with open repairs. Methods. From December 1993 to January 1998, we pr ospectively collected operative and outcome data on 56 consecutive lap aroscopic prosthetic repairs of large incisional hernias. The data wer e compared with those from a retrospective review of 49 open incisiona l hernia repairs done in January 1991 to December 1993. Results, The o pen and laparoscopic repair groups were comparable in patient age, sex , preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, hernia siz e, and history of previous repair Operative time was significantly lon ger in the laparoscopic group; duration of hospitalization and number of perioperative complications were significantly greater in the open group. Conclusions. In this series, laparoscopic repair of incisional hernias took longer to perform than open repair but was associated wit h fewer perioperative complications and a shorter hospital stay.