Trocar-site hernia at the 8-mm robotic port after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: a case report and review of the literature

Trocar-site hernia is an uncommon but serious complication after laparoscopic surgery as it frequently requires surgical intervention. We describe a 75-year-old man with Gleason score 4 + 3, clinical stage T1c prostate adenocarcinoma who underwent an uneventful robot-assisted transperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. On post-operative day four, he developed symptoms of small bowel obstruction due to herniation and incarceration of the small bowels in a Spigelian-type hernia at the left lower quadrant 8-mm trocar site. Surgical exploration was performed via a mini-laparotomy to reduce the bowel and repair the fascial layers. A literature search was performed to review other cases of trocar-site hernia through the 8-mm robotic port after robot-assisted surgery and the suggested methods of prevention.