Laparoscopic cure of small ventral hernias with composite mesh.

Background: The use of mesh is recommended to reduce the rate of recurrence after the curing of ventral hernias.

Methods: A multicentre prospective trial was conducted to assess the laparoscopic cure of small ventral hernias with a composite mesh.

Results: Around 222 patients entered the trial and received laparoscopic repair for ventral hernias of less than 5 cm. There was one conversion. The mean length of post-operative hospitalisation was 2.5 days. At 1 year, the recurrence rate was 2%. Two meshes were removed due to infection, 3% of the patients were using analgesics and 86.1% of the patients described no pain on EVA scoring.

Conclusion: The laparoscopic cure of small ventral hernias with composite mesh is efficient. Further technical progress is warranted to reduce the rate of seroma formation.