Absolute contraindications:
- All general disorders where general anesthesia and/or increased abdominal pressure would present high surgical risks, e.g., in massive COPD or severe heart failure.
- Extensive previous open surgery in the lower abdomen, e.g., open prostatectomy, cesarean section, etc. In these cases, the prevesical and preperitoneal space cannot be freed enough. Standard open appendectomy usually does not present any major problem.
- Infected surgical field.
- Patients refusing foreign body material or with known allergies to it.
Relative contraindications:
- Patients under long-term anticoagulants. Here, each case has to be considered individually.
- Giant hernias and scrotal hernias do not lend themselves easily to this technique because the content of the hernial sac can hardly be reduced by minimally invasive means and very large defects cannot be reliably closed by this technique.
- Massive obesity in patients can significantly complicate this technique and even make it impossible.