Pre-operative progressive pneumoperitoneum for repair of a large incisional hernia.

Large incisional hernias are difficult to treat surgically because of the post-operative respiratory complications and abdominal compartment syndrome. Pre-operative progressive pneumoperitoneum is a technique which has been used in such cases. We describe a case of a large incisional hernia, where this technique was employed by objectively calculating abdominal and hernial sac volumes on the basis of computerized tomography scan of abdomen with a satisfactory outcome. A review of literature and issues involved in pre-operative progressive pneumoperitoneum have been discussed.