Results of incisional hernia repair. A retrospective study of 172 unselected hernioplasties.

The records of 172 patients with repair of incisional hernia in 1976-1985 were reviewed. Follow-up data were collected with a questionnaire and the 40% of patients with symptoms were clinically re-examined. The follow-up time was 3 months to 12 years, mean 4.5 years. The median time between primary operation and first symptoms of incisional hernia was 7 months. Sex, age, smoking, chronic lung disease, obesity, fascial diastasis, site of hernia, surgeon's experience, closure method and suture material were among the factors evaluated as possibly causal. At the time of follow-up 34% of the patients had recurrent hernia. A multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed obesity as the only factor clearly impairing the result of incisional hernioplasty--good in 87% of the patients with normal weight and in 61% of the overweight. Repeat hernioplasty was performed in 35 cases, but succeeded in only 17. In obese patients repair of an incisional hernia that does not cause serious symptoms is not indicated. More careful selection of patients would improve the results of incisional hernia repair.