BackgroundTransitioning to less invasive inguinal hernia repair techniques, the use of smaller trocars in transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) procedures, has been hypothesized to improve patient outcomes by reducing postoperative pain and facilitating quicker recovery periods. This study compared the mini-TAPP (mTAPP) approach, which uses three 5 mm trocars, with the conventional laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (cTAPP) technique. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent laparoscopic TAPP surgery between December 2019 and December 2023. The key metrics compared included operation time, postoperative pain scores measured via the visual analog scale (VAS), length of hospital stay, and hernia recurrence rates at the one-year follow-up. ResultsA total of 96 patients were analyzed, 46 of whom underwent mTAPP and 50 of whom underwent cTAPP. Notably, the mTAPP group had significantly shorter hospital stays (p<0.001) and lower VAS scores at 6 hours postsurgery (p=0.02), without a significant difference in hernia recurrence (p=0.521). No significant difference was found in the operation time between the groups (p=0.761). The percentage of patients discharged on the same day after surgery was 71.7% in the mTAPP group and 6% in the cTAPP group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). ConclusionsThe outcomes of this study revealed that laparoscopic mini-transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair performed with routinely used instruments can increase the rate of same-day surgery. Therefore, mTAPP may lead to reduced costs and increased patient satisfaction. Further studies on a larger scale and with a prospective design are warranted to validate these outcomes.