ROBOTIC TRANS-ABDOMINAL PREPERITONEAL APPROACH (TAPP) APPROACH FOR LATERAL INCISIONAL HERNIAS.

backgroundLateral incisional hernias arise between the linea alba and the posterior paraspinal muscles. Anatomical boundaries contain various topographic variations, such as multiple nearby bony structures and paucity of aponeurotic tissue that make it particularly challenging to repair.

aimTo describe a robotic assisted surgical technique for incisional lumbar hernia repair.

methodsRetrospective data was collected from four patients who underwent robotic-assisted repair of their lumbar hernias after open nephrectomies.

resultsAge ranged from 41-53 y. Two patients had right sided flank hernias while the other two on the left. One patient had a recurrent hernia on the left side. The patients were placed in lateral decubitus position contralateral to the hernia defect side. A trans-abdominal preperitoneal approach was used in all cases. Each case was accomplished with two 8 mm robotic ports, a 12 mm periumbilical port, and a 5 mm assistance port that allowed docking on the ipsilateral hernia side. The hernias were identified, a preperitoneal plane was created, and the hernia sac completely dissected allowing for complete visualization of the defect. All defects were primarily closed. Polypropylene or ProGripTM mesh was applied with at least 5 cm overlap and secured using either #0 Vicryl® transfacial sutures, Evicel® or a combination of both. The peritoneal space was closed with running suture and the ports were removed and closed. The average surgical length was 4 hr. The post-operative length of stay ranged from 0-2 days.

conclusionThe robotics platform may provide unique advantages in the repair of lateral incisional hernias and represents a safe, feasible and effective minimally invasive approach for the correction of lateral incisional hernias.