Pneumoperitoneum in the Management of Abdominal Incisional Hernia

From a group of 30 patients with incisional hernia, 10 were selected for preoperative treatment with an artificial tension pneumoperitoneum to expand the abdominal cavity sufficiently so that a repair could be completed without tension. There were no serious complications from the method and no recurrences of the incisional hernia. It is suggested that this simple and neglected adjuvant should be considered to ensure the successful repair of any large abdominal incisional hernia.