Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30244344›Full record

Observational studyHernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery2018

Robotic transabdominal retromuscular umbilical prosthetic hernia repair (TARUP): observational study on the operative time during the learning curve.

F Muysoms, S Van Cleven, P Pletinckx, C Ballecer, A Ramaswamy

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
71citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
13.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

71 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. Robotic Surgical Procedures for Ventral Hernia Repair.Journal of abdominal wall surgery : JAWS · 2025
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11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

F MuysomsDepartment of Surgery, Maria Middelares Hospital, Buitenring Sint-Denijs 30, 9800, Ghent, Belgium. filip.muysoms@azmmsj.be.
S Van ClevenDepartment of Surgery, Maria Middelares Hospital, Buitenring Sint-Denijs 30, 9800, Ghent, Belgium.
P PletinckxDepartment of Surgery, Maria Middelares Hospital, Buitenring Sint-Denijs 30, 9800, Ghent, Belgium.
C BallecerCenter for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
A RamaswamyDepartment of Surgery, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
AZ Maria Middelares · BECenter for Special Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery · USUniversity of Minnesota · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe use of extraperitoneal mesh in place of intra-peritoneal mesh is gaining popularity in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. We have adopted a robotic assisted laparoscopic technique using a lateral single-dock robotic access with retromuscular mesh placement after opening the ipsilateral posterior rectus fascia. In this study, we wanted to evaluate the changes in operative times during the initial experience with this novel technique.

methodsThe initial consecutive patients undergoing robotic assisted transabdominal retromuscular umbilical prosthetic repair (r-TARUP) using a 15 × 15 cm self-fixating mesh were prospectively entered in the study and the operative times during the separate steps of the surgical procedure were recorded. Complications were reported up to 4 week post operatively and quality of life was assessed using the EuraHS-QoL score.

resultsOver a 5 month inclusion period, 41 patients with either a primary (n = 34) or a trocar site hernia (n = 7) at the umbilicus were identified. All hernias had a mean diameter of less than 4 cm. The total OR time decreased significantly during the learning curve (tertile 1: 126 min versus tertile 3: 102 min; p = 0.002) due to a decrease in the skin-to-skin operating time (tertile 1: 81 min versus tertile 3:61 min; p = 0.002). The decrease in the retromuscular dissection time was the most significant of all the steps that comprised the console time (p = 0.004). The non-surgical time did not decrease (p = 0.15). The operation was performed on an outpatient basis in 68% of patients and with a one-night-stay in 29%. No complications related to the introduction of the robotic technique for this approach were observed and the early outcome is promising, with favorable quality-of-life evaluation at 4 weeks.

conclusionsThe decrease in operative time during the adoption of r-TARUP was mainly related to the improved efficiency in the dissection phase of the procedure. The technique is reproducible and safe and the operative time compares favorably to published operative times for laparoscopic and open retromuscular umbilical hernia repair.

Indexed as

Surgical MeshAbdominal MusclesAbdominal WallAdultAgedDissectionFemaleHernia, UmbilicalHerniorrhaphyHumansLaparoscopyLearning CurveMaleMiddle AgedOperative TimeProspective StudiesLaparoscopyLearning curveOperative timeRobotic surgeryTARUPUmbilical herniaVentral hernia

Identifiers

PMID30244344
OpenAlexW2894418915

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.