The role of artificial intelligence in abdominal wall surgery: recent progress and embracing uncertainty

Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly impacting most, if not all, scientific and medical disciplines. In abdominal wall surgery (AWS), which includes common procedures such as hernia repair, abdominal wall reconstruction, and separation, AI models trained on surgical data have immense potential to enhance clinical practice and patient outcomes. The benefits include better procedure planning, standardization, interventional guidance, awareness of critical structures, complication prevention, quality assurance, and patient monitoring. Moreover, AI may significantly transform surgical education by enhancing training, skill assessment, and feedback mechanisms, leading to better-prepared surgeons. This review article highlights the latest developments in AI and AWS, focusing on key emerging applications and why embracing AI model prediction uncertainty is essential to translating these research efforts to clinical practice.