Short-term Outcomes After Laparoscopic IPOM vs. Robot-assisted Retromuscular Repair of Small to Medium Ventral Hernias

Objective: To examine the short-term outcomes after laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) compared to robot-assisted retromuscular repair of small to medium sized ventral hernia. Summary background information: With the introduction of a robot-assisted approach, retromuscular mesh placement is technically more feasible compared to laparoscopic IPOM, with potential gains for the patient, including avoidance of painful mesh fixation and intraperitoneal mesh placement. Methods: This was a nationwide cohort study of patients undergoing either laparoscopic IPOM or robot-assisted retromuscular repair of a ventral hernia with a horizontal fascial defect <7 cm in the period 2017 to 2022, matched in a 1:2 ratio using propensity scores. Outcomes included postoperative hospital length of stay, 90-day readmission, and 90-day operative reintervention, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for the relevant confounder. Results: A total of 1,136 patients were included for analysis. The rate of IPOM repaired patients hospitalized > 2 days was more than 3 times higher than after robotic retromuscular repair (17.3% vs. 4.5%, P < 0.001). The incidence of readmission within 90 days postoperatively was significantly higher after laparoscopic IPOM repair (11.6% vs. 6.7%, P =0.011). There was no difference in the incidence of patients undergoing operative intervention within the first 90 days postoperatively (laparoscopic IPOM 1.9% vs. robot-assisted retromuscular 1.3%, P =0.624). Conclusions: For patients undergoing first-time repair of a ventral hernia, robot-assisted retromuscular repair was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of prolonged length of postoperative hospital stay and risk of 90-day compared to laparoscopic IPOM.