Serial tightening of Prolene mesh in the repair of a large ventral hernia.

A 9-month-old female baby was brought to our hospital with a large ventral hernia which had developed after conservative treatment of an exomphalos. A hitherto undescribed technique involving serial tightening of a Prolene mesh was utilised to close the ventral hernia. We were able to achieve a good result within a short period of 2 weeks, without resorting to ventilation. We propose this procedure as an alternative to other existing techniques in similar situations.