Laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall hernias using an intraperitoneal onlay prosthetic patch of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (eptfe)

The surgical treatment of ventral abdominal wall hernias is still an unsolved problem despite considerable number of conventional methods. Mesh to replace or reinforce the defect by anterior approach has marginally reduced the recurrence rate, but not the infection rate. The authors describe the technique of laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall hernias using an intraperitoneal onlay prosthetic patch of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) in two cases. Postoperative complications and the advantages of this technique and other published laparoscopic procedures are discussed and compared to the open ventral repairs. It is concluded that laparoscopic prosthetic ventral hernioplasty is a feasible and safe method. It appears to have less morbidity, especially with regard to the infection rate and recurrences, when compared to the open approach. However, authors believe that prospective randomized trials will be needed for further evaluation.