Advantages of laparoscopic surgery in inguinal hernia repair

Abstract

Introduction: Inguinal hernia has been one of the most common surgical conditions for the last few decades. Risk factors for hernia are excessive physical activity in adults or athletes and birth defects in collagen production. Over the years hernia repair has evolved as a simple, rapid and safe operation with the lowest complication rate. In the last decades laparoscopic hernia repair has replaced the clas­sic open method. The two most popular laparoscopic approaches are totally extraperitoneal repair (TEP) and transabdominal preperitoneal repair (TAPP).Materials and methods: The goal is to do an analysis based on scientific studies. A literature review using PubMed, Google Scholar was conducted. Keywords like inguinal hernia, laparoscopic and open surgery were used. The aim was to compare the laparoscopic versus open hernia surgery for length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, complication rate and return to normal activity.Results: Based on the conducted literature review, laparoscopic surgery was observed to be less pain­ful and the complication rate is lower. Furthermore the length of hospital stay and time until the re­turn to normal activity are shorter. Laparoscopic operations provide the ability to view the abdomi­nal cavity for other pathologies. The efficacy of the repair depends on the experience of the surgeon.Conclusion: In the last decades laparoscopic hernia repair has evolved. It has imposed itself as a gold­en standard in most countries, except for the patients with severe comorbidities. In conclusion, TAPP and TEP are preferred from the patients and replace the different types of open hernia repair, due to their numerable advantages