Case Report: Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Repair of a Direct Sliding Left Inguinal Hernia Containing Bladder and Colon

A direct sliding inguinal hernia descends through the superficial inguinal ring and encroaches on nearby organ structures, such as the bladder. This type of hernia is rare with a 2-5% incidence and occurs due to a weakness within the lower abdominal wall, usually associated with advancing age, that permits the distal colon to descend into the inguinal canal. Direct sliding inguinal hernias are a rare subset of inguinal hernias that require meticulous dissection due to their incorporation of nearby organs such as the bladder or colon. Few cases report repair of these hernias laparoscopically; however, the use of a hybrid laparoscopic/open approach has not been extensively documented and it may be beneficial to explore the use of this approach in inguinal hernia repair. We present a case of a robotic-assisted minimally invasive repair of a direct sliding inguinal hernia in an 85-year-old male. He initially presented to the emergency department with left-sided groin pain and imaging revealed he had a direct sliding inguinal hernia that incorporated the bladder wall. He was admitted to surgery for a robotic-assisted minimally invasive inguinal hernia repair with mesh. During the surgery, after seeing the extent at which the hernia sac incorporated the bladder wall, the procedure was converted to an open approach to perform the remainder of the reduction; however the robot was reintroduced for mesh placement. Post-operatively, the patient experienced mild incisional abdominal pain with return of bowel function on day four and was discharged that same day.