Inguinal Hernia Repair: Transabdominal Preperitoneal (Tapp) Versus Lichtenstein Hernioplasty

Abstract Background Inguinal hernias are one of the most common surgical pathologies in digestive surgery. The classical Lichtenstein repair (LR), long-considered as the gold standard, has been challenged since the 1990s by a minimally-invasive laparoscopic technique (TAPP). The aim of this study was to compare the short- and medium-term postoperative outcomes between LR and TAPP. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study including tunisian patients followed up for inguinal hernia repair in the digestive surgery department, over a period of a year. The study population was prospectively randomized between January 2020 and December 2020 to receive either LR or TAPP. The main outcome measure was hernia recurrence. Chronic postoperative pain and quality of life were the secondary outcome measures. Results Twenty-five patients underwent TAPP repair and 31 underwent LR. The average age of patients was 53.2 years. In the TAPP group, the operative time was significantly longer (p = 0.002) and the recovery was faster (p = 0.005). The LR group had higher visual analogue scale scores in the early postoperative (p 0.001), higher morbidity rate (p = 0.003) and complications such as hematomas (p = 0.022) and seromas (p = 0.043). Chronic postoperative pain was more prevalent in the LR Group than the TAPP group (p = 0.022). Both the LR and TAPP had no recurrences of hernia. Conclusion The TAPP procedure, despite the longer operative time, provided patients with postoperative comfort, fast recovery, less complications and reduced postoperative pain.