Occult hernias and bilateral endoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: is there a need for prophylactic repair?

Abstract

An advantage of the endoscopic total extraperitoneal approach over the conventional hernia repair is detection of an unsuspected, asymptomatic hernia on the contralateral side. A high incidence of occult contralateral hernias has been reported in the literature. However, few studies have examined the incidence of development of a hernia on the healthy side evaluated previously during an endoscopic unilateral hernia repair. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of development of a contralateral hernia after a previous bilateral exploration. The need for a prophylactic contralateral repair is also addressed. We retrospectively reviewed the results of 822 endoscopic total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repairs done in 634 patients over a period of 10 years from May 1993 to 2003. Incidence of hernia undetected clinically and during previous contralateral repair was assessed over a follow up period ranging from 10 to 82 months. About 7.97% of bilateral hernias were clinically occult hernias. Only 1.12% of unilateral hernia repairs (who had undergone a contralateral evaluation at surgery) subsequently developed a hernia on the other side. The endoscopic approach to inguinal hernia repair is an excellent tool to detect and treat occult contralateral hernias. The incidence of hernia occurring at the contralateral side after a previous bilateral exploration is low, hence a prophylactic repair on the contralateral side is not recommended on a routine basis.