Mesh weight shows similar outcomes in minimally invasive ventral hernia repair

Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative data on adults who underwent minimally invasive extraperitoneal ventral hernia repair with uncoated permanent synthetic mesh. The analysis included patients treated through May 2025 who had at least one year of clinical or patient-reported follow-up. After propensity score matching, 238 patients were included: 119 received medium-weight mesh (40–60 g/m²) and 119 received heavyweight mesh (>75 g/m²). The primary outcome was pragmatic recurrence at one year, based on patient-reported, clinical and/or radiographic information.

One-year recurrence was 7.6% with medium-weight mesh and 12.6% with heavyweight mesh; the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.196). No surgical site infections were documented within 30 days. Surgical site occurrences, occurrences requiring procedural intervention and 30-day reoperation rates were also similar between groups. The authors conclude that the mesh types had comparable early and mid-term outcomes in this setting. As a retrospective, propensity-matched comparison, the study cannot establish equivalence or eliminate residual confounding; the authors call for prospective studies and longer follow-up.