Background: The treatment of incisional and ventral hernias is associated with significant complications and recurrences, especially in severely obese patients. Recent studies have shown a reduced rate of surgical site infections and length of hospital stay in severely obese patients undergoing a laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.Aim: This study aims to describe the clinical experience in terms of efficacy and safety with laparoscopic ventral hernia repair using the ParietexTM Composite mesh (Covidien Sofradim Production, Trevoux, France) in severely obese patients (body mass index ≥35) compared with non-severe obese patients in a seven-year single-center cohort.Material and methods: All patients with a primary ventral or incisional hernia admitted to our hospital from 2006 until December 2012 who underwent a laparoscopic repair with the Parietex Composite mesh were included in this study. Pain scores using a numeric rating were collected prospectively 24-48 hours postoperatively. Patient data were retrospectively collected.Results: A total number of 210 patients were included; 173 with a BMI <35 and 37 with a BMI ≥35. Mean follow-up was 31 months. No statistically significant differences were found with regard to operation time, hospital stay, use of analgesics and postoperative complications. The long-term follow up recurrence rate in non-severely obese patients was 13% compared to 16% in severely obese patients (p = .60).Conclusion: Laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair using the Parietex Composite mesh is feasible and safe in severely obese patients compared to non-severely obese patients.
Keywords: Composite mesh; ParietexTM; laparoscopy; mesh repair; recurrence; ventral hernia; wound infections.