General Part -- The Historical Evolution of the Treatment of Incisional Hernia -- The Anatomical Structures of Abdominal-Wall Continence -- Epidemiology -- Abdominal Compartment Syndrome: Clinical and Physiopathologic Implications in Giant Ventral Hernias -- Respiratory Physiopathology in Surgical Repair of Large Abdominal Hernias -- Notes Concerning Current Pathophysiological Aspects of Incisional Hernia -- Diagnostic Imaging of Incisional Hernia -- Special Part -- Anaesthesiological Aspects in the Abdominal-Wall Surgery -- Pathologies Associated with Incisional Hernia: Timing of Intervention -- The Use of Prosthetic Mesh in Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair -- Mesh Fixation Devices -- Biological Material -- Our Approach to the Rives-Stoppa Technique -- Retromuscular Prosthetic Repair of Incisional Hernia -- Laparoscopic Treatment of Incisional Hernia: Advantages and Limits -- Incisional Hernia Repair with Intra-Peritoneal ePTFE Mesh: Technical Notes and Long-Term Results -- Incisional Hernia Procedure with Mixed or Laparo-Assisted Technique -- Trocar-Site Hernia -- Giant Abdominal Wall Defects -- Incisional Hernia in Obese Patients -- Boundary Incisional Hernias. Diagnosis and Therapy of a Rare Pathology -- Parastomal Hernia -- Emergency Laparoscopic Repair of Complicated Ventral and Incisional Hernias -- Porcine Dermal Collagen Graft in Complicated Incisional Hernia -- The Complications of Surgical Treatment of Incisional Hernia.

Incisional hernia surgery has witnessed an important progress over the last years, not only as far as the pathophysiological and etiopathogenetic aspects are concerned, but also from a technical point of view. Thanks to the recent findings on genetical disorders of the collagen, incisional hernia is today considered a true "disease of the abdominal wall". Surgeons need to be aware of all the different repairing techniques, in order to make an elective choice and to keep side effects and recidives under control. Today, on the basis of the most recent research on synthesis of collagen and collagenolysis, the treatment of the incisional hernia should not disregard the use of synthetic prostheses and of biomaterials, both in the routinal surgical practice and in the most complex clinical cases. Surgeons, surgical residents, and medical students will find this volume very useful in their daily practice.