LAPAROSCOPIC INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR IS THE NEW “GOLD STANDARD”.
Dr George Petrou MBBS, BSC (med), FRACS, specialises in minimally invasive hernia repair for inguinal (TEP), ventral, incisional and hiatal hernia.
Dr Petrou highlights the Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair procedure he routinely performs at the Port Macquarie Private Hospital.
Spontaneous abdominal wall hernias in our community affect as high as 10% of the population. 80% of these are represented by inguinal hernias. The majority occur in active male patients. Repair is necessary to avoid future complications and restore normal physical function. With the widespread acceptance of “prosthetic meshes” and the “tension free concept”, inguinal hernia recurrence is now very uncommon and quoted as low as 0.1%.
After surgery patients can eat, drink and mobilize immediately. They can go home the same day even if a bilateral inguinal hernia was performed. Simple analgesics for pain relief are all that is required. Sometimes groin swelling can occur but tight briefs usually sort this out. Dressings can be removed in 5 days and there are no sutures to worry about. Return to work and normal physical activity is patient dependent, although we usually recommend light activity for the first week. After this time it is safe to proceed with most sporting and work activities.
Soft tissue bruising of the groin skin, scrotom and penis can sometimes occur. This is temporarily unsightly but does not cause pain or delay recovery. Small post-operative fluid collections (seroma/ haematoma) can occur, but once again cause little discomfort and resorb spontaneously. Larger collections are uncommon but may require percutaneous needle aspiration to resolve. Post operative haemorrhage and mesh infection is rare. Prosthetic meshes offer the lowest risk of recurrence in inguinal hernia repair.

KEY PATIENT BENEFITS
- Reduced acute & chronic pain
- Day surgery
- Early return to work and lifestyle
- Low rate of recurrence
- Cost effective for your patients
Evidence
1.Laparoscopic techniques versus open techniques for repair of hernia in the groin. Collaboration the EU Hernia Trialist. Cochrane Summaries. Oct 8, 2008.
2.Testicular functions, chronic groin pain, and quality of life after laparoscopic and open mesh repair of inguinal hernia: a prospective randomized controlled trial. Kumar et al. Surgical Endoscopy (26: 1304-1317). 2012.