A new minimally invasive technique for the repair of femoral hernia in children: About 13 laparoscopic repairs in 10 patients

Abstract

Background Femoral hernias in children are rare and often misdiagnosed. The classic treatment is through an open anterior approach. Since the advent of laparoscopic treatment of inguinal hernia in children, laparoscopy has been proposed to offer an accurate diagnosis and treatment, especially in case of recurrent hernia or bilateral disease. This review was undertaken to report our experience with the primary laparoscopic diagnosis and treatment of pediatric femoral hernias and to investigate its safety and feasibility. Methods All cases of pediatric femoral hernia in a consecutive series of children treated laparoscopically for groin hernias in a single institution over a 7-year period (2001-2007) were identified and studied for patient characteristics, presentation, pre- and perioperative findings, details of the operative repair, and postoperative outcome. Results Out of a prospectively studied series of 462 laparoscopic pediatric inguinal hernia repairs in 389 patients, 13 femoral hernias were treated in 10 patients (6 boys), with a mean age of 71/2 years (range, 1.7-12). The preoperative diagnosis of femoral hernia was accurate in 7 patients. Seven femoral hernias were exclusively right sided; 3 were bilateral. All 13 femoral hernias were successfully treated by a standardized transabdominal laparoscopic approach with the use of three 3.5-mm trocars. All patients were treated in a day care setting. No postoperative complications occurred. No recurrences were seen until the present time, with a mean follow-up of 31/2 years. Conclusions Laparoscopy provides a straightforward, accurate diagnosis for the rare and often missed pediatric femoral hernias. The new technique described offers a safe and efficient minimally invasive anatomical repair of the crural orifice in children, even when not suspected preoperatively. The laparoscopic diagnosis of 13 femoral hernias from a cohort of 462 laparoscopic groin hernia repairs (2.8%) may suggest a higher prevalence rate of this unusual type of hernia in children than earlier described in literature.