Current Medicine Research and Practice (Jan 2012)
Comparative evaluation of laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair versus open inguinal hernioplasty with respect to chronic groin pain
Abstract
Background: Although groin hernia repairs carry different eponyms according to the approach, the techniques have similar objectives. Postoperative recovery is uncomplicated in most patients. However, some patients continue to experience chronic pain and discomfort for months or even years after hernia repair. Reported rates of chronic pain following hernia repair vary, as prospective studies are few and chronic pain is not a primary outcome parameter in most studies. Objectives: In this study, we tried to compare the incidence and severity of chronic groin pain in patients undergoing totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair and open tension-free hernioplasty for inguinal hernia. Secondary factors studied were incidence of seroma, haematoma and return to normal activities in the two groups. Material and methods: This was a prospective non-randomized study. Group I (n=50) included patients undergoing endoscopic TEP repair and Group II (n=50) included patients undergoing open meshplasty. In each group, patients were reviewed for chronic groin pain at 3 months postoperatively and secondary factors including seroma, haematoma formation and return to normal activities. Results: In the open hernia repair group, 13 patients (26%) had chronic groin pain that persisted for more than 3 months. While in the TEP repair group, 5 patients (10%) suffered from chronic groin pain after 3 months, which was statistically different (p=0.03). Conclusion: Our study shows that TEP repair of inguinal hernia is associated with less incidence of chronic groin pain as compared to open Lichtenstein hernioplasty.
