UAB Department of Surgery Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Student Surgery Clerkship Britney Corey M.D., FACS and Assistant Professor and Minimally Invasive Surgery Clerkship Director Abhishek Parmar, M.D., FACS performed a combined 84 robotic complex abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) operations in 2019.

AWR operations are most commonly performed on patients who have had unsuccessful hernia repairs in the past. The operation is typically performed to treat large hernias and reconstructs tissue in the abdominal wall– this ensures that muscles are more fortified than before the surgery. The majority of hernia repairs had been performed through large incisions, which can prolong recovery, pain, and increase the risk for complications. By performing these operations through four or five small half-inch incisions, Drs. Corey and Parmar are aiming to improve the outcomes for their patients.

Corey and Parmar track their robotic complex AWR cases through the America’s Hernia Society Quality Collaborative (AHSQC) database– a registry of 62,511 patients nationwide. Currently, over 417 surgeons across the nation log their cases into the database. Based on surgeon self-reporting in the AHSQC logs, a combined 84 robotic complex AWR cases means UAB Department of Surgery is one of the highest volume institutions for these types of cases.

UAB has long supported robotic surgeries, surpassing more than 10,000 robotic surgeries in 2018. According to a study in the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, utilizing robotics for complex AWR surgeries is a “safe and feasible procedure associated with short length of stay, low complication rate and low recurrence.” Parmar performed the first robotic complex AWR operation at UAB in 2018- and with Corey- expanded the program in 2019 to make UAB one of the nation’s high-volume institutions for minimally invasive hernia repair.

“Robotic complex AWR operations allow us to stay true to a key element in our mission– to advance surgical care through cutting edge techniques and approaches,” said Corey.

Parmar is looking forward to the future of robotic hernia surgery and what it means for patient care at UAB.

“One of our pillars as an institution is patient care, and it’s truly satisfying to be able to provide excellent patient care through these robotic complex AWR operations,” said Parmar. “The robotic approach is one element of a broader approach we take to advanced hernia care here at UAB, and I am excited to see where we can take the field of hernia surgery in the future.”

For more information on hernia care at UAB Medicine, visit https://www.uabmedicine.org/patient-care/conditions/hernia.