Metabolism, Morphology and Function of the Anterior Abdominal Wall Musculature in Ventral Hernias and After Repair: A Narrative Review and Research Agenda

Objectives: To assess whether muscle morphology and metabolism can inform personalised care in ventral hernias and to define which parts of a proposed postoperative remodelling model are supported by direct evidence. Methods: We conducted a structured narrative review of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science from 1 January 2010 through 30 April 2026. Two authors selected 38 publications. Evidence was classified as direct when generated in ventral or incisional hernia cohorts and indirect when drawn from inguinal hernia, transplantation, geriatric, oncological, animal or general muscle studies. No quantitative synthesis was undertaken. Results: Direct studies document lateral muscle displacement, impaired abdominal wall function, inconsistent associations between low muscle mass and clinical outcomes, and CT-derived increases in muscle cross-sectional areas after transversus abdominis release (TAR). The evidence for anterior abdominal wall myosteatosis, biomarker-guided care and the three proposed remodelling trajectories remains largely indirect. In a 37-patient TAR series, the median rectus abdominis cross-sectional area increased by 16.1% (IQR 11.4–27.0%); muscle function and metabolic recovery were not measured. Conclusions: Routine CT can yield muscle area, attenuation and intermuscular adipose tissue measures without further imaging. No anterior abdominal wall-specific thresholds or biomarker cut-offs have been validated, so these measures should not determine current treatment in isolation. Prospective studies should test whether combined imaging, functional and clinical phenotyping improves the selection of prehabilitation and follow-up.