Development of laparoscopic hernia repair and prevention and treatment of complications

Abstract

Ventral hernia is a very common surgical problem with its incidence gradually increasing due to aging population, and it has significantly threat to quality of life. Laparoscopic hernia repair is a kind of minimally invasive surgery based on tension-free hernia repair, which has become an effective way for treatment of ventral hernia after decades of development. Besides, the classic surgical approaches for adult inguinal hernia include intraperitoneal onlay mesh, transabdo-minal peritoneal and totally extraperitoneal repairs. However, some related complications including vascular injury and bleeding, postoperative pain, nerve damage, seroma, intestinal obstruction, infection and relapse have been increasingly reported with the extensive applications of laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. Surgeons still need to pay more attentions and take appropriate measures to prevent such events. Complications could be reduced by strictly following the indications of different laparoscopic hernia repair surgeries with a careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages, understanding their pathogenesis, improving the laparoscopic operation techniques, getting familiar with the local anatomical structures and standardizing the surgical procedures. Establishing a correct and standard surgical training system will further shorten the learning curve of surgeons to promote the progression and development of hernia surgery in China. Key words: Ventral hernia; Hernia repair; Complications; Laparoscopy