Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Local Hospital. 2 Years’ Experience and Challenges

Abstract Although 3 decades have passed since the first laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty, only small number of patients in Serbia is currently operated by laparoscopic approach. Around 260 hernia repairs per year is done in our hospital, and only 10% is operated by laparoscopic approach. Aim The purpose of this study is to present our experience 2 years after implementation of laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty in our hospital and highlight the challenges we faced. Material and Methods It is a retrospective observational study including all patients who underwent a laparoscopic hernia repair (TAPP and TEP) in our hospital between January 2022 and July 2023. Results From a total of 49 patients, 46 (94%) were male and 3 (6%) were female. Mean age was 56,8 ± 11,9 years. There were 24 patients with right sided hernia, 16 with left sided hernia and 9 with bilateral hernia. 45 patients (91,8%) had primary hernia and 4 patients (8,2%) had recurrent hernia. 44 patients were operated using TAPP technique and 5 using TEP. ASA 2 was the most frequent score (69,4%). All patients received flat polypropylene mesh and absorbable tackers were used for fixation. The mean time of postoperative hospital stay was 2,02 days ± 0,38. Seroma was observed in 7 patients, and urinary retention in 2 patients. There was one recurrence (2,04%) and 2 patients acquired incisional hernia on the umbilical port site. Conclusions Laparoscopic hernioplasty can be performed safely and effectively, without increasing the rate of intraoperative or postoperative complications, with short operative times and successful results.