Evaluation of laparoscopic total extraperitoneal hernioplasty versus open hernioplasty in the management of uncomplicated inguinal hernia

Abstract

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common operations in general surgery. Inguinal hernias are among the most common of abdominal wall hernias accounting for almost 75% with lifetime risk of 27% in men and 3% in women. Laparoscopic techniques for inguinal hernia repair, shown to be superior to open repair in terms of postoperative pain and recovery.Methods: In this study, 54 patients with inguinal swelling were taken, 27 cases each for laparoscopic TEP repair and 27 for open mesh repair were studied and results were analyzed.Results: This study shows the maximum number of patients were in the age group of 51-60years in open repair whereas 41-50years in laparoscopic TEP repair. In both the groups, right sided hernia is common. Time duration of surgery varies from 47minutes to 90minutes in open hernia repair whereas in laparoscopic repair it was 85minutes to 136.67minutes. This longer duration of surgery was attributed to learning curve. The mean duration of hospital stay was 3.26days in laparoscopic TEP repair compared to 5.85days in open repair group.Conclusions: Laparoscopic TEP repair offers a significant advantage over open mesh hernia repair. It is associated with less postoperative pain and complications, early post-operative recovery and reduced hospital stay and early resumption of normal activity and better quality of life. However, operative time was prolonged in laparoscopic TEP repair as compared to open due to the learning curve in the institution.