Background
Ventral hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed today, yet when complex and huge, it presents a true challenge for the surgical team.
Patients and methods
Based on our prospective randomized study, a few preliminary conclusions can be drawn. There was no significant difference in most outcomes between patients who underwent repair with the Transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR) technique or with perforator-preserving component separation when using the same type of polyprolene mesh and in the same retro-muscular position.
Results
The mean hospital stay was slightly higher when performing the TAR technique (5.2 days), while it was 4.3 days after the perforator-preserving approach. There is a nearly equal incidence of postoperative wound complications and also no statistically significant difference in the rate of recurrence between the two methods, and the rate of wound complications and recurrence is significantly lower than the classic, commonly used method of anterior component separation.
Conclusion
After this comparative study, both the TAR and anterior component separation (perforator preserving) techniques are effective and reliable methods in experienced hands, and if there is no special indication for one of them, the choice between both should depend on surgeon preference and experience.