Laparoscopic vs open repair for primary midline ventral hernia: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: The optimal operative treatment for umbilical and epigastric hernia, i.e., primary midline ventral hernia (PMVH), is debatable. The most common techniques are the primary suture and open repair with mesh, while laparoscopic approach using intraperitoneally placed onlay mesh (IPOM) is less frequent. The aim of this study was to examine the outcomes of IPOM in PMVH. Perioperative results, recurrence, pain, and functional status were studied. METHODS: This single-center prospective cohort study included consecutive patients with PMVH operated between September 2006 and December 2015. Systematic follow-up was conducted 6 months and 2 and 5 years postoperatively. RESULTS: Seven hundred fifty-four patients underwent PMVH repair. Open repair without mesh, open repair with mesh, and IPOM were performed in 251 (34.9%), 273 (38%), and 195 (27.1%) patients, respectively. In the unmatched cohort, the incidence of postoperative complications was similar except postoperative seroma, which was more frequent after IPOM. The latter was also associated with longer length of stay. Open repair with mesh was associated with significantly lower recurrence compared with open repair without mesh and IPOM (5.2 vs 18.2 vs 13.8%, p=0.001, respectively). No differences were seen between the groups in terms of visual analog scale used for registering postoperative pain. These observations persisted after applying propensity score matching. In the multivariable analysis, open repair without mesh and IPOM significantly correlated with recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: In PMVH, open repair with mesh is associated with lower recurrence compared with open repair without mesh and IPOM. Pain, postoperative complications (except for seroma), and functional status are similar. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00423-023-02958-6.