Large and complex ventral hernia repair using “components separation technique” without mesh results in a high recurrence rate

BackgroundRecurrence rates after component separation technique (CST) are low in the literature but may be underestimated because of inadequate follow-up methods.MethodsProspective patient follow-up was performed of consecutive patients who underwent repair of large and complex ventral hernias using CST without mesh utilization. Primary outcome was recurrent hernia determined by clinical examination at least 1 year after surgery in all living patients. Current literature underwent meta-analysis regarding outcomes and mode of follow-up.ResultsSeventy-five patients were included with a mean age of 52.2 years and a mean defect size of 214.9 cm2, respectively. Twenty-nine patients (38.7%) had a recurrent hernia after a mean of 40.9-month follow-up, and this was significantly higher than in the literature (14.0%, P < .01). Sixty-four percent of studies in the literature were unclear about the method of determining recurrent hernia or included telephone follow-up and questionnaires.ConclusionsCST coincides with a high recurrence rate when clinical follow-up is longer than a year. Reported recurrence rates are probably underestimated because the method and duration of follow-up are inadequate.