***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Objective : The aim of the trial was to compare laparoscopic technique with open technique regarding short-term pain , quality of life ( QoL ) , recovery , and complications . Background : Laparoscopic and open techniques for incisional hernia repair are recognized treatment options with pros and cons . Methods : Patients from 7 centers with a midline incisional hernia of a maximum width of 10 cm were r and omized to either laparoscopic ( LR ) or open sublay ( OR ) mesh repair .  Primary end point was pain at 3 weeks , measured as the bodily pain subscale of Short Form-36 ( SF-36 ) . Secondary end points were complications registered by type and severity ( the Clavien-Dindo classification ) , movement restrictions , fatigue , time to full recovery , and QoL up to 8 weeks . Results : Patients were recruited between October 2005 and November 2009 . Of 157 r and omized patients , 133 received intervention : 64 LR and 69 OR . Measurements of pain did not differ , nor did movement restriction and postoperative fatigue . SF-36 subscales favored the LR group : physical function ( P < 0.001 ) , role physical ( P < 0.012 ) , mental health ( P < 0.022 ) , and physical composite score ( P < 0.009 ) . Surgical site infections were 17 in the OR group compared with 1 in the LR group ( P < 0.001 ) . The severity of complications did not differ between the groups ( P < 0.213 ) . Conclusions : Postoperative pain or recovery at 3 weeks after repair of midline incisional hernias does not differ between LR and OR , but the LR results in better physical function and less surgical site infections than the OR does . ( Clinical Trials.gov Identifier : NCT00472537 Background The laparoscopic approach has emerged in the search for a surgical technique to decrease the morbidity associated with conventional repair of ventral hernias . In this study we aim ed to compare the results of our open and laparoscopic ventral hernia repairs prospect ively . Methods Between January 2001 and October 2005 , a total of 46 patients diagnosed with ventral hernias ( primary and incisional ) who were admitted to our surgical unit and accepted to be included in this study group were examined . All patients were divided into laparoscopic repair ( n = 23 ) and open repair  ( n = 23 ) subgroups in a r and omized fashion . The patients ’ demographic characteristics , operation times , body mass indices , sizes of fascial defects , hernia locations , duration s of hospital stay , presence and degrees of postoperative pain , and postoperative minor and major complications were analysed and compared . All the data were expressed as means ± SDs . Chi-square and Wilcoxon tests were used for statistical analysis , and P < 0.05 was accepted as a significant statistical value ( SPSS 11.0 for Windows ) . Results The demographic characteristics of both groups were similar . Women predominated , especially in the laparoscopy group ( P < 0.05 ) . The comparison of the results revealed that the major advantage of laparoscopy was the shortened postoperative hospital stay and the reduced incidence of mesh infection ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.05 ) . On the other h and , operation time was significantly longer in the laparoscopy group ( P < 0.05 ) . The major complications encountered in the laparoscopy group were ileus and a missed enterotomy . The most frequent minor complication was seroma , which was significantly more frequent in the laparoscopy group ( P < 0.05 ) . Postoperative pain assessment revealed similar results in both groups ( P > 0.05 ) . Conclusions The laparoscopic approach appears to be as effective as open repairs in the treatment of ventral hernias . Advanced surgical skill , laparoscopic experience and high technology are m and atory factors for successful ventral hernia repair BACKGROUND Incisional hernia is an important complication of abdominal surgery . Procedures for the repair of these hernias with sutures and with mesh have been reported , but there is no consensus about which type of procedure is best . METHODS Between March 1992 and February 1998 , we performed a multicenter trial in which we r and omly assigned to suture repair or mesh repair  200 patients who were scheduled to undergo repair of a primary hernia or a first recurrence of hernia at the site of a vertical midline incision of the abdomen of less than 6 cm in length or width . The patients were followed up by physical examination at 1 , 6 , 12 , 18 , 24 , and 36 months . Recurrence rates and potential risk factors for recurrent incisional hernia were analyzed with the use of life-table methods . RESULTS Among the 154 patients with primary hernias and the 27 patients with first-time recurrent hernias who were eligible for the study , 56 had recurrences during the follow-up period . The three-year cumulative rates of recurrence among patients who had suture repair and those who had mesh repair were 43 percent and 24 percent , respectively , with repair of a primary hernia ( P=0.02 ; difference , 19 percentage points ; 95 percent confidence interval , 3 to 35 percentage points ) . The recurrence rates were 58 percent and 20 percent with repair of a first recurrence of hernia ( P=0.10 ; difference , 38 percentage points ; 95 percent confidence interval , -1 to 78 percentage points ) . The risk factors for recurrence were suture repair , infection , prostatism ( in men ) , and previous surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm . The size of the hernia did not affect the rate of recurrence . CONCLUSIONS Among patients with midline abdominal incisional hernias , mesh repair is superior to suture repair with regard to the recurrence of hernia , regardless of the size of the hernia IMPORTANCE Incisional hernia is the most frequent surgical complication after laparotomy . Up to 30 % of all patients undergoing laparotomy develop an incisional hernia . OBJECTIVE To compare laparoscopic vs open ventral incisional hernia repair with regard to postoperative pain and nausea , operative results , perioperative and postoperative complications , hospital admission , and recurrence rate . DESIGN Multicenter r and omized controlled trial between May 1999 and December 2006 with a mean follow-up period of 35 months . SETTING All patients were operated on in a clinical setting at 1 of the 2 participating university medical centers or at the other 8 teaching hospitals . PARTICIPANTS Two hundred six patients from 10 hospitals were r and omized equally to laparoscopic or open mesh repair . Patients with an incisional hernia larger than 3 cm and smaller than 15 cm , either primary or recurrent , were included . Patients were excluded if they had an open abdomen treatment in their medical histories . INTERVENTION Laparoscopic or open ventral incisional hernia repair . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome of the trial was postoperative pain . Secondary outcomes were use of analgesics , perioperative and postoperative complications , operative time , postoperative nausea , length of hospital stay , recurrence , morbidity , and mortality . RESULTS Median blood loss during the operation was significantly less ( 10 mL vs 50 mL ; P = .05 ) as well as the number of patients receiving a wound drain ( 3 % vs. 45 % ; P < .001 ) in the laparoscopic group . Operative time for the laparoscopic group was longer ( 100 minutes vs. 76 minutes ; P = .001 ) . Perioperative complications were significantly higher after laparoscopy ( 9 % vs. 2 % ) . Visual analog scale scores for pain and nausea , completed before surgery and 3 days and 1 and 4 weeks postoperatively , showed no significant differences between the 2 groups . At a mean follow-up period of 35 months , a recurrence rate of 14 % was reported in the open group and 18 % , in the laparoscopic group ( P = .30 ) . The size of the defect was found to be an independent predictor for recurrence ( P < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE During the operation , there was less blood loss and less need for a wound drain in the laparoscopic group . However , operative time was longer during laparoscopy . Perioperative complications were significantly higher in the laparoscopic group . Visual analog scores for pain and nausea did not differ between groups . The incidence of a recurrence was similar in both groups . The size of the defect was found to be an independent factor for recurrence of an incisional hernia BACKGROUND Laparoscopic repair of ventral incisional hernias  has not been proved to be safer than open mesh repair . DESIGN Prospect i ve r and omized trial conducted between February 1 , 2004 , to January 31 , 2007 . SETTING Four Veterans Affairs medical centers . PARTICIPANTS One hundred sixty-two patients with ventral incisional hernias . INTERVENTIONS St and ardized laparoscopic or open repair . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Overall complication rates at 8 weeks and the odds of complications , adjusted for study site , body mass index , and hernia type . RESULTS Of the 162 r and omized patients , 146 underwent surgery ( 73 open and 73 laparoscopic repairs ) . Complications were less common in the laparoscopic group ( 23 patients [ 31.5 % ] ) compared with the open repair group ( 35 patients [ 47.9 % ] ; adjusted odds ratio [ AOR ] , 0.45 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.22 - 0.91 ; P = .03 ) . Surgical site infection through 8 weeks was less common in the laparoscopic group ( 5.6 % vs 23.3 % ; AOR , 0.2 ; 95 % CI , 0.1 - 0.6 ) . The mean worst pain score in the laparoscopic group was 15.2 mm lower on a visual analog scale at 52 weeks ( 95 % CI , 1.0 - 29.3 ; P = .04 ) . Time to resume work activities was shorter for the laparoscopic group than for the open repair group ( median , 23.0 days vs 28.5 days ) , with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.54 ( 95 % CI , 0.28 - 1.04 ; P = .06 ) . Overall recurrence at 2 years was 12.5 % in the laparoscopic group and 8.2 % in the open repair group ( AOR , 1.6 ; 95 % CI , 0.5 - 4.7 ; adjusted P = .44 ) . CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic repair was associated with fewer , albeit more severe , complications and improved some patient-centered outcomes . Trial Registration clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00240188 Background Incisional hernia is a common complication following abdominal surgery .  Although the use of prosthetics has decreased recurrence rates , the st and ard open approach is still unsatisfactory . Laparoscopic techniques are an attempt to provide similar outcomes with the advantages of minimally invasive surgery . Methods Open r and omized controlled clinical trial with follow-up at 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , and 15 days , and 1 , 3 , and 12 months from hernia repair . The study was carried out in the surgery departments of three general hospitals of the Valencia Health Agency . Objectives To compare laparoscopic with anterior open repair using health-related quality of life outcomes as main endpoints . Results Eighty-four patients with incisional hernia were r and omly allocated to an open group ( OG ) ( n = 39 ) or to a laparoscopic group ( LG ) ( n = 45 ) . Seventy-four patients completed 1-year follow up . Mean length of stay and time to oral intake were similar between groups . Operative time was 32 min longer in the LG ( p < 0.001 ) . Conversion rate was 11 % . The local complication rate was superior in the LG ( 33.3 % versus 5.2 % ) ( p < 0.001 ) . Recurrence rate at 1 year ( 7.9 % versus 9.7 % ) was similar in the two groups . There were no significant differences in the pain scores or the EQ5D tariffs between the two groups during follow-up . Conclusions Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair does not seem to be a better procedure than the open anterior technique in terms of operative time , hospitalization , complications , pain or quality of life To compare the early and intermediate results of the open and laparoscopic tension-free repair of  incisional hernia , 24 patients were r and omized prospect ively to undergo laparoscopic or open repair of incisional hernia with retromuscular placement of the prosthesis using transabdominal sutures for mesh fixation . All the procedures were completed as planned . The mean duration of surgery was not significantly different between the 2 groups ( P=0.15 ) . Time to oral solid food intake was longer in the open group ( P=0.002 ) . The analgesic requirement was lower in the laparoscopic group ( P=0.05 ) . One patient after open surgery and 2 in the laparoscopic group suffered postoperative complications ( P=0.71 ) . Postoperative stay was shorter in the laparoscopic group ( P=0.006 ) . No readmission or recurrence 
    Output:
    
Conclusions Laparoscopic incisional and ventral hernia repair is a feasible and effective alternative to the open technique .
It is associated with lower incidences of wound infection and shorter length of hospital stay .
Given the relatively short follow-up duration of trials included in the systematic review , trials with long-term follow-up are needed to compare the durability of laparoscopic and open repair