Srinagar, Dec 19: First Laparoscopic “Trans-abdominal Retromuscular Surgery TARM)“ surgery for Ventral Hernia performed in Kashmir valley was done at Trauma Hospital Kangan, on a middle-aged patient.
The patient was “suffering from a wide ventral / incisional hernial defect of about 9 cm x 9 cm following her previous multiple Caesarean section, through 2 tiny holes of 5mm and 2 tiny holes of 10mm.” Surgery was done by team of senior Consultant Laparoscopic surgery Dr R Simnani, & consultant anaesthesia Dr Shaista. Patient was discharged on 2nd post day “operative hale and healthy.”
Laparoscopic TARM, is now the most recent and advanced laparoscopic procedure recommended for Ventral Hernias by “Asia Pacific Hernia Society”. The first series of laparoscopic TARM was published by A Masurkar in 2020. In India this procedure has also started gaining interest since the last 2 years only, and is performed at some selected high out advanced laparoscopic centres only.
Laparoscopic TARM, is not only very novel and very effective surgery, but more peculiar and of particular advantage due to it’s cost effectiveness over the conventional laparoscopic surgery for ventral and incisional, called as ‘Laparoscopic IPOM’, which cuts the cost of disposable equipment by at least 60 thousand rupees. All that is utilised in Laparoscopic TARM is a polypropylene mesh, costing around just two thousand rupees , thereby making it most affordable and convenient & suited to “our economic structure.”