Outcomes of Robotic Transabdominal Retromuscular Repair: 3-Year Follow-up.

Background: Our study addresses the gap in ventral hernia repair literature, regarding the long-term effectiveness of robotic transabdominal retrorectus umbilical prosthetic repair (r-TARUP) for primary and incisional ventral hernias. This study aimed to report the 3-year recurrence rates and overall patient outcomes including quality of life.

Method: A retrospective review of prospective collected data analyzed 101 elective r-TARUP patients from August 2018 to January 2022. Data collected included demographics, hernia sizes, mesh types, postoperative outcomes and the European Hernia Society Quality of Life questionnaire (EuraHS-QoL) before and after surgery.

Results: The average age of the group of patients was 53, having a mean body mass index (BMI) of 32 kg/m, with 54% incisional and 46% primary hernias, with mean length and width of 4.4 cm and 6.1 cm, utilizing synthetic 58% and bioabsorbable 42% mesh types. The majority were classified as Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) class I wounds. Postoperative complications included seroma (2%), hematoma (3%), which required surgical intervention, with no significant correlation to mesh type. A strong positive correlation was found between Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) and increased length of hospital stay (correlation coefficient: 0.731, 0.001). Preoperative quality of life assessments demonstrated statistically significant improvements when compared to postoperative assessments at 3 years, with a mean (±SD) of 61.61 ± 5.29 vs. 13.84 ± 2.6 ( 0.001). Mean follow up of 34.4 months with no hernia recurrence at 1 year and 3 recurrence at the 2-3 years follow up (3.2%).

Conclusion: The r-TARUP technique has proven to be safe and effective for repairing primary and incisional ventral hernias, with a low recurrence rate during this follow up period with a noticeable improvement in quality of life (QoL).