Comparison of pain between laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) and open procedure for inguinal hernias in children below 5years of age.

Abstract

The laparoscopic approach (LA) for repairing inguinal hernias (IH), especially laparoscopic extraperitoneal percutaneous closure (LPEC) has become popular minimally invasive surgical technique. However, invasiveness is difficult to evaluate in children of < 5years of age, as they cannot adequately express their pain. The current study utilized a pain scoring system compare pain in patients of < 5years of age who were treated by LA or traditional open approach (OA). The records of 74 IH patients of < 5years of age who underwent surgery in our hospital between January 2022 and July 2023 were reviewed.Revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scores were used to quantitatively evaluate the degree of pain. Forty-seven patients (mean age, 2.85years) underwent treatment with an OA, and 27 patients (mean age, 2.37years) underwent treatment with an LA. The FLACC scores in the OA and LA groups were 0.21 and 0.44, respectively. In a subanalysis by age groups, The FLACC scores in the OA and LA groups were 0.09 and 0.5 in patients of < 2years of age, respectively, CONCLUSION: The reduced invasiveness of LArelative to OAdid not minimize postoperative pain, especially in patients < 2years of age.