Femke Nachtergaele
Papers
5
Total Citations
96
H-Index
5
About
Femke Nachtergaele is a surgeon and researcher whose work focuses on the clinical and economic evaluation of robotic-assisted hernia repair. Her research is particularly concerned with the adoption of robotic techniques for inguinal and parastomal hernias, and she has made significant contributions to understanding when these advanced technologies offer genuine benefit over traditional approaches. Her most cited work, the EASTER study (37 citations), provides a critical economic assessment of introducing robotic-assisted laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in a European healthcare setting, highlighting the higher material costs and lack of proven clinical advantage. She has also investigated the specific challenges of robotic repair in patients with prior transabdominal prostatectomy (25 citations), offering guidance on surgical decision-making in complex cases. Beyond inguinal hernias, Nachtergaele has published a detailed "How-I-do-it" guide for minimally invasive repair of ileal conduit parastomal hernias (17 citations), and she leads the ROBUST hernia project, a multi-center initiative aimed at standardizing and evaluating robotic hernia surgery. Her work is essential for surgeons and policymakers navigating the balance between innovation, cost, and patient outcomes.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3How-I-do-it: minimally invasive repair of ileal conduit parastomal hernias17 citations · 2022
- 4ROBotic Utility for Surgical Treatment of hernias (ROBUST hernia project)10 citations · 2021
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