Organization of a hernia center: Our experience based on a multidisciplinary hospital. Criteria for the status of a «hernia center»

Objective. To investigate and develop criteria for specialized hernia surgery centers. Material and methods. Based on the experience gained from the Hernia Surgical Treatment Center of the Yudin City Clinical Hospital and the results of research conducted by the European Hernia Society, the main criteria for a specialized center for anterior abdominal wall hernia surgery were developed and implemented in practice. Results. The authors proposed the following criteria for a reference hernia center: surgical treatment of patients with ventral hernias should be performed in accordance with current guidelines and scientific recommendations; prospective documentation of each case in a registry or database; performing a large volume of operations for all types of ventral hernia surgery; postoperative follow-up of patients to compare own results with control data for continuous improvement of treatment outcomes and contribution to hernia treatment research; mastery by herniologists of the entire range of open and laparo-endoscopic methods of ventral hernia repair. Conclusion. The authors demonstrated, based on personal experience, that it is possible to apply the proposed criteria in a multidisciplinary department of a general hospital In Russia. However, to establish the criteria for a «hernia center» their implementation In Russian multidisciplinary hospitals and conducting multicenter studies are required.