Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair: Defining the Learning Curve

Between 2004 and June 2011, 181 patients underwent laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. Three main surgeons, all experienced in laparoscopic procedures, performed all the cases. After analyzing the operative time (OT) for 3 main surgeons, within the first 20 cases the overall performance plateaued. Data from 60 patients (50F, 10M), with a mean age of 42.3 years (range, 26 to 88 y) and a mean hernia defect size of 6.5 cm (range, 4 to 18 y), were evaluated. No significant differences were recorded among the 3 surgeons in OT and intraoperative or postoperative complications. But 3 (5%, P
Source: Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy and Percutaneous Techniques - Category: Surgery Tags: Review Article Source Type: research