Managing complications in laparoscopic ventral hernia

Ventral or Incisional hernia repair is one of the commonest operations performed in surgical practice. High recurrence rates following standard open repair, combined with the advent of minimal invasive surgery has led surgeons towards accepting laparoscopy as an alternative to management of ventral or incisional hernias. Ever since the first laparoscopic ventral hernia repair in 1993, more surgeons have readily accepted it. In laparoscopic ventral or incisional hernia repair, the principles of conventional posterior approach (Rives-Stoppa-Wantz) are borrowed, wherein the mesh is placed either intra-peritoneally or in the sublay position. To facilitate laparoscopic repair, over the year’s newer instruments like tackers, specialized mesh, fixation devices have been developed. No procedure is immune to complications. In this review we explore the complications associated with laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair and its management options.