Handling methods of uterus round ligament in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in females

Abstract

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has been widely used in adult inguinal hernia. The spermatic cord, as an important reproductive organ in male patients, should be depe-ritonealized to avoid injury in order to prevent fertility from being affected. However in female patients, the uterine round ligament not the spermatic cord goes across the inguinal canal, which extends from intraperitoneal and extraperitoneal, banding tightly with the peritoneum. It is difficult to completely strip the uterus round ligament from peritoneum to achieve deperitonealization. Hence there is still controversy about how to handle the uterus round ligament. There is no uniform guidance document for the handling of the uterus round ligament in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair around the world. Handling methods are investigated in this article based on the summary of related literatures. Key words: Inguinal hernia; Uterus round ligament; Surgical procedures, operative; Repair; Laparoscopy