Hernia Repair Approaches Yield Similar Patient-Reported Outcomes

Ahmed U, Reistrup H, Gram-Hanssen A, et al. Long-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes after Robotic, Laparoscopic, and Open Primary Ventral Hernia Repair. J Am Coll Surg. September 2026.

Minimally invasive approaches are increasingly used for primary ventral hernia repair, but comparative patient-reported outcome evidence remains limited. Ahmed et al. compared long-term patient-reported outcomes following elective robotic, laparoscopic, and open repair of primary ventral hernias.

The nationwide survey and registry study included adults receiving mesh repair for umbilical or epigastric defects smaller than 10 cm. Among 12,040 eligible patients, 9,552 completed the survey (79%). The Abdominal Hernia-Q assessed pain, foreign body sensation, scar satisfaction, recurrence, physical impact, and appearance.

The approaches showed no differences in severe chronic pain, foreign body sensation, or physical impact scores. Dissatisfaction with scars was less frequent following laparoscopic and robotic repair than open repair (5.7% and 4.2%, respectively, versus 10.2%; both p<0.001).

Patient-reported recurrence was more frequent following laparoscopic versus open repair (11.4% versus 9.2%; p=0.006). Laparoscopic repair also had slightly better appearance scores (18.8 versus 18.5; p<0.001).

The authors concluded that outcomes were generally similar, although minimally invasive approaches were associated with greater scar satisfaction. These differences may help guide approach selection for patients who prioritize postoperative appearance.