Abstract Introduction: Ventral Hernia repair has been one of the most commonly performed surgeries. The most significant advances to impact Ventral Hernia repair have was addition of the prosthetic materials to conventional repair and the introduction of Laparoscopy to general surgical procedures. This clinical study was undertaken to compare the results of Open Ventral Hernia Repair (OVHR) with Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair based on - Mean duration of surgery, Post operative hospital stay, Post operative pain, Mean duration of hospitalization, Complications of the surgery, incidence of recurrence after 6 months follow up. Material and Methods: The prospective study was conducted on 64 patients presenting with a ventral abdominal hernia to Great Eastern Medical School, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, India between July 2016 and July 2017. Results: In the study, Laparoscopic hernia repair experienced less postoperative pain, reduced mean duration of hospital stay and postoperative hospital stay, early resume of work and normal activities, less complications and less incidence of recurrence after 6 months of follow up. However, the cost of surgery and mean duration of surgery was high in laparoscopic group compared to open group patients. Conclusion: Even though the initial expenses of the laparoscopic surgery is more, the overall cost benefit ratio is better in the laparoscopic technique than the open one for ventral hernias since there is less postoperative stay, faster post op recovery and earlier return to work.
Keywords: Ventral Hernia; Open Ventral Hernia Repair; Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair; Visual Analog Scale (VAS).