A Study of Initial Experience of Trans-Abdominal PrePeritonial Inguinal Hernia Repair at aTertiary Care Center

Abstract

Introduction: Inguinal hernia surgery remains till date one of the most commonly performed surgeries. Overall decrease in recurrence rate along with shorter hospital stay, faster return to normal activities and a lower incidence of post-operative pain has led to the widespread acceptance of laparoscopic hernia repair especially Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal repair in the management of inguinal hernia. The study was done to evaluate the initial experience of a tertiary care center in the laparoscopic hernia repair including the intra and post-operative complications and associated technical difficulties. Methodology: This prospective, descriptive study was performed in 22 patients during the period of 2018 to 2021. The patients were evaluated thoroughly for the predisposing factors, technical aspects of the procedure, intra-operative details, post-operative complications and the time taken for the procedure were noted. The patients were also followed up for a period of 6 months for late complications. Results: All the patients in the study group were male and majority of them were older than 40 years. Majority of the patients had heavy work as the risk factor and all of them presented with inguinal or inguino-scrotal swelling which reduced by itself. Majority of patents had right indirect and incomplete inguinal hernia. The mean operative time in initial cases were longer, but on acquiring experience, the operating time came down to approximately 90 minutes. The complications associated with the procedure were minimal with a return to normal routine in a mean of 15 days. Conclusion: Laparoscopic hernia repair is a significantly lengthier procedure especially in the learning phase of the surgeon’s team, but the operative time decreases with increasing experience. Good technique and knowledge about laparoscopic anatomy of inguinal region ensures minimal complications and faster recovery. Keywords: TAPP; TEP; Laparoscopic Hernia Repair; Inguinal Hernia Surgery.