Comparison of Laparoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair and Tension-Free Herniorrhaphy Using PerfixR: Short-Term Follow-Up Results

Purpose: Tension-free open repair for inguinal hernia is a safe and popular operation with a high success rate, but laparoscopic techniques are fairly recent. Comparing the tension-free herniorrhaphy using mesh and plug (PerfixR) with laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair is the aim of this study. Methods: We compared two groups of patients in which 39 patients with inguinal hernias were treated by tension-free repair using PerfixR (group P) and 39 patients were treated by laparoscopic TEP repair (group T). Information about operation time, length of hospital stay, use of analgesics (pain), recurrence, complications, cosmetic satisfaction, medical costs, and time until return to work were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Mean operation time, postoperative hospital stay, and the time until return to work were 101±33 min, 1.9±1.0 days, 11±8 days in group T, 86±28 min, 2.0±0.8 days, 12±10 days in group P. Postoperative complications, medical costs and the cosmetic satisfaction were 20.5%, 821,048 won, 94% (32/24) in group T, 7.7%, 692,149 won, 79% (19/24) in group P. There was difference between the two groups but not significant statistically. Group P used more analgesics than group T, significantly (P<0.05). There was only 1 recurrence in group T. Conclusion: Although we need more experience in patients with inguinal hernias, laparoscopic TEP repair may be a secure and feasible procedure compared to tension-free repair using PerfixR. (J Korean Surg Soc 2009; 77:189-194)