[Incisional hernia repair in the region of Brescia and in Lombardy: results of a survey and discussion].

This paper reports the results of a survey on the surgical therapy of incisional ventral hernia in the county of Brescia (19 surgical wards) compared with the results in Lombardy. Using epidemiological data on open and laparoscopic surgery we investigated the recent trends in this kind of surgery, addressing aspects that are not yet supported by evidence-based data in the literature. Laparoscopic repair is performed in about half of the surgical wards, and in the majority (85%) of Lombardy hospitals that replied to the questionnaire. It is also performed in a small number of primitive ventral hernias. The creation of a pneumoperitoneum is accomplished both by the Verress and the Hasson techniques, without significant differences. Composite meshes have proved most interesting, and fixation by titanium spiral tacks is most commonly used. We found rapid discharge and low morbidity rates, similar to the published data. The preferred open technique is still the Rives-Stoppa submuscular mesh repair. It is generally agreed that there will presumably be a major diffusion of laparoscopic repair, in spite of the fact that it is nowadays performed only by surgeons familiar with advanced laparoscopic techniques and is still more expensive than open repair, which, however, is offset by the distinct benefit afforded by the patient.