Assessment of potential influencing factors on the outcome in small (< 2 cm) umbilical hernia repair: a registry-based multivariable analysis of 31,965 patients

Long-term patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after primary ventral or small midline incisional hernia repair

BACKGROUND

Ventral hernia repair is a common elective surgical procedure lacking strong evidence for specific operative approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of primary suture repair or polypropylene sandwich mesh repair for ventral hernias. The main outcome measures were the rate of hernia recurrence, and evaluation of long-term complications and patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study evaluated patient perceived recurrence and pain in patients who had undergone a primary ventral hernia (epigastric, supraumbilical, or umbilical) repair or small (≤20 mm) midline incisional hernia repair 10 years after the procedure. Short-term follow-up occurred up to 6 weeks after the initial operation, while long-term follow-up included patients who were reviewed clinically or interviewed via telephone at or beyond 3 years after the procedure.

RESULTS

Most (75/100, 75.0%) patients had an extra-peritoneal sandwich mesh repair. Short-term follow-up showed minimal pain and normal activities for all patients (97/97, 100%). Long-term follow-up (median 12 years [IQR 11-13]) was achieved in 95.9% (93/97) of patients with only a small number reporting a slight bulge (5/93, 5.4%) and intermittent mild discomfort (8/93, 8.6%). Nine patients (9/97, 9.3%) experienced hernia recurrence, diagnosed at a median of 26 months [interquartile range, IQR, 7-58] post-operatively.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that an open sandwich mesh technique is a safe and effective method for repairing primary ventral hernias and small midline incisional hernias and is associated with favourable long-term patient-reported outcomes.

Suture versus open mesh repair for small umbilical hernia: Results of a propensity-matched cohort study

BACKGROUND

The objective was to compare the outcomes of open mesh repair versus suture repair for small (≤1 cm in diameter) umbilical hernia. The primary endpoint was the 30-day outcomes including pain, and secondary endpoints were the 2-year outcomes including recurrences and patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS

This propensity-matched, multicenter study was carried out on data collected prospectively in the Hernia-Club database between 2011 and 2021. A total of 590 mesh repairs and 590 suture repairs were propensity score matched (age, sex, body mass index) at a ratio of 1:1. Postoperative pain was assessed using the Verbal Rating Scale-4 and 0‒10 Numerical Rating Scale-11.

RESULTS

Mesh insertion was intraperitoneal in 331 patients (56.1%), extraperitoneal in 249 (42.2%), and onlay in 10 (1.7%). The rate of 30-day complications and Numerical Rating Scale-11 pain scores on postoperative days 8 and 30 were similar between the groups, including surgical site occurrences (2.2 vs 1.4% after suture repair). At 1 month, postoperative discomfort (sensation of something different from before) was significantly (P < .0001) more frequent after mesh repair, whereas the rate of relevant (moderate or severe) pain (mesh repair: 1.1% vs suture repair: 2.6%) and the distribution of Numerical Rating Scale-11 scores did not differ between the groups. At the 2-year follow-up, mesh repair patients had fewer reoperated recurrences (0.2% vs 1.7%; P = .035) and no more pain or discomfort than suture repair patients.

CONCLUSION

Both techniques are effective and safe. Mesh repair is likely to reduce the rate of recurrences. Concerns about postoperative pain and infection might not prevent the use of mesh in smallest umbilical hernias.

Gender differences in epigastric hernia repair: a propensity score matching analysis of 15,925 patients from the Herniamed registry

INTRODUCTION

In recent surgical literature, gender-specific differences in the outcome of hernia surgery has been analyzed. We already know that female patients are at higher risk to develop chronic postoperative pain after inguinal, incisional, and umbilical hernia surgery. In this study, we evaluated the impact of gender on the outcome after epigastric hernia surgery.

METHODS

A covariable-adjusted matched-paired analysis with data derived from the Herniamed registry was performed. In total of 15,925 patients with 1-year follow-up data were included in the study. Propensity score matching was performed for the 7786 female (48.9%) and 8139 male (51.1%) patients, creating 6350 pairs (81.6%).

RESULTS

Matched-paired analysis revealed a significant disadvantage for female patients for pain on exertion (12.1% vs. 7.6%; p < 0.001) compared to male patients. The same effect was demonstrated for pain at rest (6.2% in female patients vs. 4.1% in male patients; p < 0.001) and pain requiring treatment (4.6% in female patients vs. 3.1% in male patients; p < 0.001). All other outcome parameters showed no significant differences between female and male patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Female patients are at a higher risk for chronic pain after elective epigastric hernia repairs compared to the male patient population. These results complete findings of previous studies showing the same effect in inguinal, umbilical, and incisional hernia repair.

Open versus laparoscopic intraperitoneal on-lay mesh repair: A comparison of outcomes in small ventral hernia

PURPOSE

The ideal surgical treatment of small ventral hernias (defect less than 4 cm) is still debatable. In our study, we sought to compare the outcomes of open versus laparoscopic intraperitoneal on-lay mesh (IPOM) repair in small ventral hernias.

METHODS

Patients with a single ventral hernia defect of less than 4 cm undergoing surgical mesh repair between January 2016 and September 2018 were prospectively registered for this study. The minimum follow-up duration was 12 months. Patient demographics, operative findings and regular post-operative follow-up details including recurrence rates and complications were recorded and analysed.

RESULTS

41 patients underwent laparoscopic IPOM repair and 47 patients underwent open IPOM repair. The mean age for both groups is similar with no significant difference. The mean hernia defect size for the laparoscopic group is 2.8 cm (±0.8) whereas the mean hernia defect size for the open repair group is 2.1 cm (±0.4). The mean surgery duration for open IPOM repair was significantly shorter (59 min (±17) vs 74 min (±26); p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of seroma formation and surgical site infections post-operatively. There was also no significant difference in both groups in terms of chronic pain and recurrence at 1-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Open IPOM repair for small ventral hernias may be superior to laparoscopic IPOM repair due to the shorter operative duration, single incision, and no additional risk of port-site hernias. There was no difference in chronic pain, wound infection and recurrence rate between the two groups.

Onlay mesh repair for treatment of small umbilical hernias ≤ 2 cm in adults: a single-centre investigation

PURPOSE

Previous studies on the repair of small umbilical hernias have suggested a lower recurrence rate with mesh compared to suture repair. An important question is in what anatomical position the mesh should be placed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcome of using a standardized 4 × 4 cm onlay-mesh for umbilical hernias ≤ 2 cm.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted at a single centre in Sweden on all umbilical hernia repairs during 2015-2019. The follow-up time was at least four months. Patients were identified using the hospital medical database. Repairs performed with suture or a sublay, ventral patch and laparoscopic mesh positioning were excluded. The patient's demographics, comorbidities, intra-and post-operative details were considered. The primary outcome was surgical site complications within 30 days. The secondary outcome was a recurrence.

RESULTS

80 patients were repaired with a small onlay-mesh for an umbilical hernia ≤ 2 cm. The median (range) follow-up time was 29.0 (4.3-50.1) months. The median age was 46 (26-76) years old. The median body mass index was 28 (19-38) kg/m2. The male to female ratio was 2:1. 4 patients were identified with a surgical site post-operative complication; three with seromas and one with a superficial wound infection. 3 of these were given antibiotics. 2 patients were treated with wound openings bedside. There were no registered cases of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Repairing small umbilical hernias with a small onlay-mesh was safe with a low surgical site complication rate. Randomized trials are needed to assess whether mesh can reduce recurrences in umbilical hernia repairs ≤ 2 cm.

Are the relative benefits of open versus laparoscopic intraperitoneal mesh repair of umbilical hernias dependent on the diameter of the defect?

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to assess whether the respective values of open and laparoscopic intraperitoneal repairs of umbilical hernias are related to the European Hernia Society diameter of defects.

METHODS

This registry-based study compared the early and 2-year outcomes of 776 open versus 1,019 consecutive laparoscopic intraperitoneal repairs performed from 2011 to 2019.

RESULTS

Intraperitoneal mesh repair, either laparoscopic or open, was found to be a safe procedure at the 2-year follow-up. The incidence of reoperated bowel obstructions was 0.3%. Compared with the open group: (1) postoperative surgical site occurrences in small (<2 cm) or medium (2-4 cm) hernias (0.3% vs 2.4%; P = .041; 1.4% vs 5.9%; P = .0002); (2) recurrence rates in large (≥4 cm) umbilical hernias (0.0% vs 8.6%; P = .0195); and (3) cumulative reoperation rates (0.9% vs 2.2%; P = .021) were significantly better in the laparoscopic group. Conversely, the rate of early pain on day 1 and 1 month postsurgery was higher in the laparoscopic group, for all hernia sizes (P < .001). The rate of moderate or severe chronic pain at 2 years was significantly higher in the laparoscopic group (8.1% vs 2.4%; P = .049) for small hernias.

CONCLUSION

The respective benefit to drawback ratios for open versus laparoscopic intraperitoneal repairs were related to the European Hernia Society diameter of hernia defect. In medium-large hernias, the benefits of laparoscopic repair overrode its drawbacks. In small hernias, the low recurrence rate, reduced early and chronic pain, and better rate of ambulatory surgery suggest there is still a place for open repair.

Comparison of outcomes in rectus abdominis diastasis repair-which data do we need in a hernia registry?

INTRODUCTION

Rectus abdominis diastasis (RAD) ± concomitant hernia is a complex hernia entity of growing significance in everyday clinical practice. Due to a multitude of described surgical techniques, a so far missing universally accepted classification and hardly existing comparative studies, there are no clear recommendations in guidelines. Therefore, "RAD ± concomitant hernia" will be documented as a separate hernia entity in the Herniamed Registry in the future. For this purpose, an appropriate case report form will be developed on the basis of the existing literature.

METHODS

A systematic search of the available literature was performed in March 2021 using Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, Springer Link, and the Cochrane Library. 93 publications were identified as relevant for this topic.

RESULTS

In total 45 different surgical techniques for the repair of RAD ± concomitant hernia were identified in the surgical literature. RAD ± concomitant hernia is predominantly repaired by plastic but also by general surgeons. Classification of RAD ± concomitant hernia is based on a proposal of the German Hernia Society and the International Endohernia Society. Surgical techniques are summarized as groups subject to certain aspects: Techniques with abdominoplasty, open techniques, mini-less-open and endoscopic sublay techniques, mini-less-open and endoscopic subcutaneous/preaponeurotic techniques and laparoscopic techniques. Additional data impacting the outcome are also recorded as is the case for other hernia entities. Despite the complexity of this topic, documentation of RAD ± concomitant hernia has not proved to be any more cumbersome than for any of the other hernia entities when using this classification.

CONCLUSION

Using the case report form described here, the complex hernia entity RAD ± concomitant hernia can be recorded in a registry for proper analysis of comparative treatment options.

SUMMER Trial: mesh versus suture repair in small umbilical hernias in adults-a study protocol for a prospective randomized double-blind multicenter clinical trial

Background

Small umbilical hernia repair is one of the most common surgical performances in general surgery. Yet, a gold standard procedure for the repair is still lacking today. There is an increasing evidence that mesh could be advantageous compared to suture repair in lowering recurrence rates. An additional important question remains with regard to the optimal anatomical positioning of the mesh. We hypothesize that the use of an onlay mesh in small umbilical hernia defects can reduce recurrence rates without increasing the complications compared to a simple suture repair.

Methods

A prospective, national, multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing a standardized 4 × 4 cm onlay mesh to a conventional suture repair will be conducted. A total of 288 patients with a primary elective umbilical hernia ≤ 2 cm from 7 participating Swedish surgical centers will be enrolled. Intraoperative randomization will take place using a centralized web-based system resulting in total allocation concealment. Stratification will be done by surgical site and by defect size. Trial participants and follow-up clinical surgeons will be blinded to the assigned allocation. The primary outcome assessed will be postoperative recurrence at 1 and 3 years. Secondary outcomes assessed will be postoperative complications at 30 days and pain 1 year after surgery.

Discussion

Currently, there has been no randomized clinical trial comparing the recurrence rates between an onlay mesh repair and a simple suture repair for small umbilical hernia defects. How to best repair a small umbilical hernia continues to be debated. This trial design should allow for a good assessment of the differences in recurrence rate due to the large sample size and the adequate follow-up. Surgeons’ concerns surrounding optimal anatomical positioning and fear for larger required dissections are understandable. A small onlay mesh may become an easy and safe method of choice to reduce recurrence rates. Guidelines for small umbilical hernia repairs have stressed the need for reliable data to improve treatment recommendations. We can expect that this trial will have a direct implication on small umbilical hernia repair standards.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04231071. Registered on 31 January 2020. SUMMER Trial underwent external peer review as part of the funding process.

Perioperative outcome in groin hernia repair: what are the most important influencing factors?

INTRODUCTION

Using registry analyses, a large number of influencing factors on the perioperative outcome of groin hernia repair has been identified. The interactions between several influencing factors and differences in the influencing value have to date been inadequately investigated.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the Herniamed Registry included all fully documented cases with minimum age of 16 years and groin hernia repair. Patients were assigned to the risk groups unilateral, bilateral, recurrent and emergency groin hernia repair. Multivariable analysis was performed to investigate the influence of confirmatory defined patient- and procedure-related characteristics on the outcome parameters intraoperative, postoperative general and postoperative surgical complications, complication-related reoperation and total perioperative complications.

RESULTS

A highly significantly unfavorable association with the total perioperative complication rate was identified for emergency groin hernia repair, scrotal hernia, anticoagulant medication and coagulopathy. A significantly unfavorable relation with the total perioperative complication rate was found for recurrence procedure, bilateral repair, high age, ASA score III/IV, femoral hernia, antithrombotic medication, smoking, COPD and corticosteroid medication. A significantly favorable correlation with the total perioperative complication rate was observed for the laparo-endoscopic techniques, smaller defects, female gender, normal weight and medial hernia.

CONCLUSION

Both the number of potential influencing factors and their influencing value on the perioperative outcome should be considered when estimating the individual risk of a patient with groin hernia repair.

[Ventral hernias part 1 : Operative treatment techniques]

Primary (umbilical, epigastric hernias) and secondary (incisional hernias) ventral hernias are among the most common surgical indications in general and visceral surgery. The defect width and defect localization have a considerable impact on treatment decision-making and outcomes. Therefore, preoperative computed tomography (CT) examination is increasingly recommended particularly for larger incisional hernias. Despite the good results reported in meta-analyses and registry analyses, in recent years there has been a marked trend away from the intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) technique as severe complications have repeatedly been reported. To continue to benefit from the advantages conferred by a minimally invasive access route with fewer wound complications, a myriad of new techniques with small incisions or endoscopic access have been developed. These involve mesh placement in the sublay/retromuscular/preperitoneal position. This provides a relatively differentiated tailored approach.