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Elhage et al. Art Int Surg. 2025;5:247-53 Artificial
DOI: 10.20517/ais.2024.87
Intelligence Surgery

Review Open Access

Artificial intelligence in abdominal wall
reconstruction: where are we now and where are we

going?

Sharbel A. Elhage, Peyton H. Terry, Dillan Villavisanis, John P. Fischer, Ivona Percec
Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Ivona Percec, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman
Center for Advanced Medicine, 14th Floor South Pavilion, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. E-mail:
ivpercec@gmail.com

How to cite this article: Elhage SA, Terry PH, Villavisanis D, Fischer JP, Percec I. Artificial intelligence in abdominal wall
reconstruction: where are we now and where are we going? Art Int Surg. 2025;5:247-53. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ais.2024.
87

Received: 7 Oct 2024 First Decision: 25 Feb 2025 Revised: 4 Apr 2025 Accepted: 17 Apr 2025 Published: 22 May 2025
Academic Editor: Andrew Gumbs Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
From novel reconstructive operations to the creation of negative pressure wound therapy, plastic surgery is defined
by a rich history of surgical and technological innovation. One of the latest technologies changing the face of
medicine is artificial intelligence (AI), with its increasing popularity embodied by the meteoric rise in AI-related
publications over the last decade. Abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) is a discipline within plastic surgery that
has taken an interest in AI technology, incorporating it into research to better understand hernia outcomes,
interpret preoperative data, and improve patient-specific care and education. This review aims to explore the
current breadth of AI use within AWR to give readers a better understanding of where the field currently stands
and inspire ideas for where it may go in the future.

Keywords: Abdominal wall reconstruction, AWR, hernia repair, artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine
learning

INTRODUCTION
Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, integrating itself into our everyday lives with better

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
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