ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03344575BriCloUpdated Jan 28, 2020

Peritoneal Bridging in Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair

An interventional study of Conventional defect closure and Peritoneal bridging in Hernia, Ventral, Laparoscopy and Seroma, sponsored by Karolinska Institutet. Completed at 1 site in Sweden. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-01-28.

Sponsored by Karolinska Institutet · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 4 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jul 2017, registered Nov 2017).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
50
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (VHR) is usually performed by reducing the contents in the hernia sac from the abdominal cavity and then covering the defect from the inside with a mesh, i.e. Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh (IPOM). This means that the hernia sac is left in situ anterior to the mesh. This may, however, predispose for the development of fluid in the hernia sac, i.e. seroma. The risk of seroma development may be reduced if a the defect is closed before the mesh is applied. Closing the defect may, however, cause tension and pain from the abdominal wall. Instead of closing the defect, the part of the peritoneum constituting the hernia sac may be used for closing the defect. In this case, the peritoneum is dissected from the edges of the hernia sac and then used as a flap that is fixated to the edges of the hernia sac on the opposite side.

In order to evaluate whether peritoneal bridging reduces the seroma development following ventral hernia repair, we are undertaking a double-blind randomized controlled trial comparing conventional closure of the hernia defect with peritoneal bridging. The goal is to randomize 50 patients undergoing laparoscopic ventral hernia to conventional closure or closure of the defect with peritoneal bridging.

Clinical follow-up is performed one month and one year after surgery. At both occasions, the patient is requested to fill in the Ventral Hernia Pain Questionnaire (VHPQ) and an investigation is done in order to assess the presence of seromas, recurrences or other local complications. One year after surgery, computer tomography is performed. The main purpose of the computer tomography is to quantify the presence of seromas.

The study is intended as phase 2 study with the aim of evaluating peritoneal bridging as an alternative to conventional defect closure. If the study shows that bridging does not lead to substantial seroma development, future studies with greater statistical power and other outcome measures will be undertaken.

Read the detailed description

Background

Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (VHR) has become a well-established technique during the last decade. The repair is usually performed by reducing the contents in the hernia sac from the abdominal cavity and then covering the defect from the inside with a mesh, i.e. Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh (IPOM). This means that the hernia sac is left in situ anterior to the mesh. This may, however, predispose for the development of fluid in the hernia sac, i.e. seroma. Even if the mesh prevents the intestines from protruding into the hernia sac, the patient may still be troubled by discomfort from the seroma that replaces the hernia..

The risk of seroma development may be reduced if a the defect is closed before the mesh is applied (IPOM-Plus). Closing the defect may, however, cause tension and pain from the abdominal wall. Instead of closing the defect, the part of the peritoneum constituting the hernia sac may be used for closing the defect. In this case, the peritoneum is dissected from the edges of the hernia sac and then used as a flap that is fixated to the edges of the hernia sac on the opposite side. This reduces the size of the pseudosac and the peritoneal surface, which prevents transudation to the pseudosac.

In order to evaluate whether peritoneal bridging reduces the seroma development following ventral hernia repair, we are undertaking a randomized controlled trial. Our goal is to include 50 patients in the study.

Method

After obtaining written and oral consent from the patient, the randomisation is performed through a sealed envelope system. The patient is blinded to the allocation. Prior to the procedure, the patient is also requested to fill in the Ventral Hernia Pain Questionnaire (VHPQ).

The procedure is started according to the usual routines. Adhesions covering the defect are dissected in order to visualize the defect. If the patients has been randomized to defect closure, it is sutured with continuous PDS 2-0. . In case the patient is allocated to peritoneal bridging, the peritoneum is dissected beginning 2-3 cm from the edge of the defect. The sac is disected all the way to the opposite edge of the defect. The peritoneal flap is pulled to the opposite side and fixated with Optifix. One of the aims of the bridging is to to close the defect and increase the surface of contact between the mesh and the peritoneum.

The mesh is attached in the same, irrespective of randomization. Optifix with double-crown technique is used in both groups. Operation time and intraoperative complications are registered when the procedure is completed. From the day of the procedure until two days postoperatively, pain from the area of surgery is registered daily on a VAS-scale.

The patient is invited to clinical follow-up one month and one year after surgery. At both occasions the patient is requested to fill in VHPQ. One year after surgery, a computer tomography while straining in order to detect protrusion of the abdominal contents in the defect. Any protrusion seen at the computer tomography is graded according to a previously validated classification. The presence of seromas detected at the computer tomography is described according to Morales-Conde,

The computer tomography images are assessed by two radiologists in order to reach consensus. The presence of seroma anterior to the defect is evaluated in terms of size (maximal diameter), localization, shape (round, oval, triangular), mean density (Hounsfield unit, HU) and the volume through three-dimensional reconstructions.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hernia, Ventral
  • Laparoscopy
  • Seroma
03

In context

Hernia, Ventral

230 studies on the registry are indexed under Hernia, Ventral; 45 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 50 is below the median of 90 across 153 interventional studies indexed under Hernia, Ventral.

Browse Hernia, Ventral studies →

Lead sponsor

Karolinska Institutet is the lead sponsor of 1,148 studies on the registry; 276 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Patients planned for laparoscopic repair of midline incisional hernia
  • Defects with diameter 3-10 cm
  • \<40

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Defect >10 cm
  • Ventral hernias with other localization than the midline
  • Emergency surgery and incarcerated hernias
  • Preoperative suspicion of extensive adhesions
  • Pregnancy or intended pregnancy
  • Serious comorbidity
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
50 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Conventional defect closure

    The defect is sutured with continuous PDS 2-0.

    Procedure: Conventional defect closure

  • Experimental
    Peritoneal bridging

    The peritoneum is dissected beginning 2-3 cm from the edge of the defect. The sac is dissected all the way to the opposite edge of the defect. The peritoneal flap is pulled to the opposite side and fixated with Optifix

    Procedure: Peritoneal bridging

Interventions

  • ProcedureConventional defect closure

    Laparoscopic suturing of the defect prior to placing an intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh

  • ProcedurePeritoneal bridging

    Laparoscopic closure of the defect by using a peritoneal flap prior to placing an intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Seroma formation

    Volume of postoperative seroma measured with computer tomography

    Time frame: One year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Postoperative complications

    Complications related to the procedure

    Time frame: 30 days

  2. Postoperative pain

    Pain assessed with the Ventral Hernia Pain Questionnaire for rating abdominal wall pain. Range 0-7 from no pain to most intensive pain. No subscales or added scores.

    Time frame: One year

  3. Time required to close the defect

    Time (minutes) from beginning the closure to placing the mesh

    Time frame: 3 hours

  4. Hernia recurrence

    Recurrence of the hernia

    Time frame: One year

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Department of Surgery, Karloskoga Hospital
    Karlskoga, 69144, Sweden
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Ali F, Wallin G, Fathalla B, Sandblom G. Peritoneal bridging versus fascial closure in laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay ventral hernia mesh repair: a randomized clinical trial. BJS Open. 2020 Aug;4(4):587-592. doi: 10.1002/bjs5.50305. Epub 2020 May 28. PubMed 32463163 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jul 2017 to primary completion in Jun 2019, 23 months.

Of 75 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Hernia, Ventral, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 48. This study's 23 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 88 studies reached it within 37 months; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 56.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Nov 12, 2017
First posted
Nov 17, 2017
StartActual
Jul 1, 2017
Primary completionActual
Jun 30, 2019
CompletionActual
Dec 31, 2019
Last update
Jan 28, 2020
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 28, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03344575
Collaborators
Karlskoga Hospital
Responsible party
Gabriel Sandblom (Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 17, 2017
Start date
Jul 1, 2017
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2019
Completion
Dec 31, 2019
Last update
Jan 28, 2020

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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