Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure for inguinal hernia in infants younger than 6 months: A comparison with conventional open repair.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) and conventional open repair (OR) for inguinal hernia in infants younger than 6 months.

METHODS

The medical records of 202 patients who had undergone LPEC or OR at an age younger than 6 months between 2010 and 2016 were reviewed. Patient characteristics and surgical outcomes were compared between LPEC and OR.

RESULTS

In total, there were 120 LPEC (76 males, 44 females) and 83 OR (76 males, 7 females) cases. There were no differences in median age, median bodyweight, and presence of incarceration between the two groups (LPEC group: 3 months (range, 0-5 months), 5.7 kg (range, 2.3-9.6 kg), and 13.3%; OR group: 3 months (range, 1-5 months), 5.5 kg (range, 2.1-9.0 kg), and 12.0%). LPEC was completed in all cases without any intraoperative complications or open conversions. In the LPEC group, 60.0% of unilateral hernia patients had a contralateral patent processus vaginalis and underwent prophylactic closure. The incidence of metachronous contralateral hernia was significantly lower in the LPEC group than in the OR group (0% vs 10.0%, P < 0.01). Operative time was significantly shorter during LPEC than during OR (P < 0.01) for male patients. The recurrence rate was lower in the LPEC group (0.83%) than in the OR group (2.4%), but the difference was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The present data indicate that LPEC is comparable to OR in terms of safety and efficacy in infants younger than 6 months. Moreover, among the LPEC group, there were fewer incidences of metachronous contralateral hernia, and the procedure had a shorter operative time.