Laparoscopic and open incisional hernia repair: A comparison study

BACKGROUND: Techniques for performing laparoscopic incisional hernia repair have been described and some advantages over conventional open repair reported. However, most reported series of laparoscopic incisional hernia procedures are small, and only one has included a comparison with open repairs. METHODS: From December 1993 to January 1998, we prospectively collected operative and outcome data on 56 consecutive laparoscopic prosthetic repairs of large incisional hernias. The data were compared with those from a retrospective view of 49 open incisional hernia repairs done in January 1991 to December 1993. RESULTS: The open and laparoscopic repair groups were comparable in patient age, sex, preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists score, hernia size, and history of previous repair. Operative time was significantly longer 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 with fewer perioperative complications and a shorter hospital stay.