Laparoscopic management of spigelian hernias.

Purpose: Spigelian hernias are rare, and their treatment has traditionally been by open surgery. Laparoscopic management is however, becoming more popular. The aim of our review is to examine the existing evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of the laparoscopic approach to the management of spigelian hernias.

Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out including Medline with PubMed as the search engine, and Ovid, Embase, Cochrane Collaboration, and Google Scholar databases to identify articles in English language reporting on laparoscopic management of spigelian hernias.

Results: Thirty-three articles were found, with a total number of 84 successfully managed cases, reported from 1992 to 2009. No recurrences (0%) and minimal morbidity (2.3%) are reported. Furthermore, the reported hospital stay of patients was remarkably short.

Conclusions: Current data suggest that the laparoscopic approach to the management of spigelian hernias is safe and effective, both in the elective and emergency setting.