Open Versus Robotic Retromuscular Ventral Hernia Repair

An open retromuscular ventral hernia repair involves an incision through your abdominal wall, most often through a prior surgery scar. The contents of the hernia, which may include intestine or fatty tissue, are returned into the abdominal cavity. The posterior (inner-most) layer of the abdominal wall is separated from the muscle and closed, which closes the abdominal cavity. Mesh is then placed over that closed layer, which is outside of the abdominal cavity, but below the abdominal muscles. The anterior (outer-most) layer of the abdominal wall is then closed over the mesh, which closes the hernia.

A robotic retromuscular ventral hernia repair involves a similar separation of the layers of the abdominal wall, similar mesh placement, and similar closure of the hernia defect. The surgical robot is a tool that allows your surgeon to place long, narrow instruments through small incisions in order to perform surgery from the inside of your abdomen. Rather than one longer incision in the middle of your abdomen, four to six small incisions, about 1 inch, are made along the outer part of your abdomen between the rib cage and hip.