Open Versus Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction With the advancement in technology as well as surgical techniques, laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) is more commonly being performed as compared to open repair in various centres throughout the world. Our study aimed to compare the short-term operative outcomes between LVHR and open repair. Materials and methods Sixty patients diagnosed with noncomplicated ventral hernias were included in this prospective study and were randomly divided into the laparoscopic group and the open group. The two groups were compared to evaluate operative time, postoperative pain, length of hospital stay and time taken to return to normal activity. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results Mean operative time was longer in LVHR (116 min) as compared to open repair (67 min)(p<0.01). Patients experienced more pain on the first and seventh postoperative days in the open group (p<0.01) and they also had a longer duration of hospital stay as compared to the laparoscopic group (6.23 ± 0.35 vs 2.17 ± 1.12 days, p = 0.02). Patients in the laparoscopic group returned to normal activity faster as compared to the open group (1.47 ± 0.11 vs 2.87 ± 0.34, p<0.01). Conclusion LVHR carries a significant advantage over open hernia repair, especially in terms of reduced postoperative pain, duration of hospital stay, and early resumption of normal activity.