Initial results of the National Registry of Incisional Hernia

Introduction: The aim of this study was to the data from the National Registry of Incisional Hernia (EVEREG) to determine the reality of the treatment of this condition in Spain.

Methods: EVEREG is an online prospective database which has been functioning since July 2012; operations for incisional hernia are anonymously recorded.

Results: Up to March 2015, 4501 hernias from 95 of the 113 participating hospitals were registered. The mean age of the patients was 62.7, and 56.5% were women, with a mean BMI of 30.2kg/m²; 29.8% presented a high surgical risk (ASA III-V). A total of 93.7% were scheduled surgeries, 88.3% open surgery and 22.2% were recurrent incisional hernias. There were 66.9% hernias after a midline laparotomy, and 81.4% of a transverse diameter of less than 10cm. A mesh was used in 96.2% of cases. Postoperative stay was 5.3 days and 29.1% presented a complication, with a mortality of 0.8%. After a median follow-up of 7.7 months a high rate of recurrence was detected (20.7% per year), especially in hernias that were operated on after a previous repair (18.1% primary vs. 30.6% recurrent; P=.004).

Conclusion: the EVEREG registry is a useful tool to know the current situation of incisional hernia treatment. Analysis of the data shows several points that could be improved: a low rate of follow-up and high recurrence rate.