Content area
Full Text
Hernia (2014) 18:369373DOI 10.1007/s10029-013-1126-3
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Inguinal hernia repair in women: is the laparoscopic approach superior?
A. Ashfaq L. J. McGhan A. B. Chapital
K. L. Harold D. J. Johnson
Received: 9 August 2012 / Accepted: 9 June 2013 / Published online: 18 June 2013 Springer-Verlag France 2013
AbstractPurpose Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is associated with reduced post-operative pain and earlier return to work in men. However, the role of laparoscopic hernia repair in women is not well reported. The aim of this study was to review the outcomes of the laparoscopic versus open repair of inguinal hernias in women and to discuss patients considerations when choosing the approach.
Methods A retrospective chart review of all consecutive patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair from January 2005 to December 2009 at a single institution was conducted. Presentation characteristics and outcome measures including recurrence rates, post-operative pain and complications were compared in women undergoing laparoscopic versus open hernia repair.
Results A total of 1,133 patients had an inguinal herniorrhaphy. Of these, 101 patients were female (9 %), with a total of 111 hernias. A laparoscopic approach was chosen in 44 % of patients. The majority of women (56 %) presented with groin pain as the primary symptom. Neither the mode of presentation nor the presenting symptoms significantly inuenced the surgical approach. There were no statistically signicant differences in hernia recurrence, post-operative neuralgia, seroma/hematoma formation or urinary retention between the two approaches (p \ 0.05).
A greater proportion of patients with bilateral hernias had a
laparoscopic approach rather than an open technique (12 vs. 2 %, p = 0.042).
Conclusions Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy is as safe and efcacious as open repair in women, and should be considered when the diagnosis is in question, for management of bilateral hernias or when concomitant abdominal pathology is being addressed.
Keywords Hernia Inguinal Laparoscopic repair
TAPP TEP
Background
Since its introduction in 1990, laparoscopic hernia repair has been widely adopted as an alternative approach to the treatment of groin hernias [1]. However, debate still exists regarding whether laparoscopic repair is superior to open repair. The largest prospective US trial comparing laparoscopic versus open inguinal hernia repair was the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study [2]. In this study, 1,983 men with inguinal hernias were randomized to...