Robotic transversus abdominis release for ventral hernia repairs

Background: Robotic transversus abdominis release (roboTAR) is a minimally invasive surgical approach for ventral hernia repairs that builds on the concepts developed by Rives and Stoppa. The Rives–Stoppa procedure incorporates Rives’ retromuscular repair and Stoppa’s concept of giant prosthetic reinforcement of the visceral sac (GPRVS).[1] In an effort to mitigate the limitations of the Rives–Stoppa procedure, Novitsky et al. developed the open transversus abdominis release (TAR). The TAR approach is favorable when repairing large ventral hernia defects, as it provides myofascial advancement to reconstitute linea alba, preserves the neurovascular bundles of the medial abdominal wall, and creates a large extraperitoneal space to allow for mesh reinforcement. Methods: The three main technical components of the roboTAR include the following: bottom-up, Novitsky method, and top-down approach. An understanding of the anatomy and technique involved in the three techniques is critical for performing roboTAR. Results: Within the authors’ practice, the average hernia defect size is 115 cm2. With a n = 200, approximately 1% of our patients has had a surgical site complication. Recurrences are rare and occur in very large complex hernias. The average operative time is approximately 400 min with an average length of stay being 1.2 days. This is consistent with others. Conclusion: Utilizing a minimally invasive approach, as seen in roboTAR, provides additional advantages, including shorter length of hospital stay, reduced wound morbidity, reduced postoperative pain, and expedited return to work and activities of daily living. This article is a comprehensive review of the pertinent anatomy, preoperative evaluation, operative technique, and the postoperative course of roboTAR.