Laparoscopic Percutaneous Extraperitoneal Closure of the Internal Ring in Pediatric Recurrent Inguinal Hernia.

Abstract

Background: Laparoscopic repair has become the preferred option for the treatment of pediatric hernias. Recently, laparoscopic operations have also been conducted in pediatric recurrent hernia cases. Laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) is a simple and reliable minimally invasive procedure for pediatric inguinal hernia repair. However, it is still unclear whether LPEC is an ideal procedure for recurrent inguinal hernias in children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of LPEC in the treatment of pediatric recurrent inguinal hernias. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all children with primary inguinal hernia repairs in our hospital from 2016 to 2017 and analyzed the outcomes of recurrent inguinal hernia repairs with LPEC. Results: There were 1703 children with 1985 indirect inguinal hernias: 1549 were laparoscopic (91.0%) and 154 open (9.0%). Thirty-five (2.1%) of these children had recurrent inguinal hernia with no difference in prevalence between laparoscopic and open (P = .24). One case was bilateral. LPEC was performed successfully in all children with recurrent inguinal hernias. There were no severe intra- or postoperative complications in any of the recurrent cases. No children had inguinal hernia recurrence at follow-up (8 months-2 years). Conclusions: LPEC of the internal ring is a reliable and effective minimally invasive technique for the treatment of recurrent inguinal hernia in children.