ORIGINAL RESEARCH
J. Abdom. Wall Surg.
Outcomes of Robot Assisted Trans Abdominal Retromuscular Umbilical Prosthesis (rTARUP): A Dutch Multicenter Study
- JE
Julotte E. Baart 1
- DA
D. A. M. Sloothaak 2
- MP
M. P. Simons 3
- AL
Alexander L. Bloemendaal 1
1. Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft, Netherlands
2. Spaarne Gasthuis Hoofddorp, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
3. OLVG, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Abstract
Aim Robotic assisted Trans Abdominal Retromuscular Umbilical Prosthesis (rTARUP) is being increasingly performed to treat Ventral Hernia. Prospective (long-term) studies are scarce. In this study we investigated 125 patients with short and long-term follow-up, regarding surgical and hernia-related quality-of-life outcomes. Material & Methods Patients undergoing rTARUP were selected from consecutive prospectively collected databases from two teaching hospitals from the Netherlands. The patients were operated by experienced surgeons in a standardized manner. Patient characteristics and short-term outcomes after surgery were retrospectively reviewed and follow up data about hernia recurrence and quality of life was prospectively collected. Results 125 rTARUP patients were included for analysis. The most common hernia type was primary (n=61), followed by recurrent (n = 37) and incisional (n = 27). The median surgical time was 90 minutes. 44/61 (72%) patients with a primary ventral hernia were treated as daycase. The 30-day complication rate was 7.2%. Median follow up was 24 months after which a large majority of patients (84%) reported to feel better or much better. There were 3 reoperations for recurrences (2.4%). Conclusion rTARUP is a safe and effective procedure that can be performed in a timely manner, with short hospital stay and a low complication rate. Further research is needed into economical costs and benefits to fully justify the use of robotic surgery for these indications.
Summary
Keywords
TARM, rTARUP, abdominal wall hernia, robotic abdominal wall repair, ventral hernia repair
Received
24 August 2025
Accepted
14 November 2025
Copyright
© 2025 Baart, Sloothaak, Simons and Bloemendaal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Alexander L. Bloemendaal, bobbloemendaal@gmail.com
Disclaimer
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