Your doctor can repair a hernia with surgery to bring the tissue together and close the gap. They may use mesh to provide further strength. This can be done through a single large incision, or cut. Doctors call this “open” surgery), or through several small incisions (called laparoscopic or robotic surgery). The operation is called laparoscopic or robotic ventral hernia repair. It is a type of minimally invasive surgery. You may recover faster from minimally invasive surgery and have less pain.