A retrospective study of defect closure and hernia belt compression for seroma prevention in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) is a widely adopted technique favored for its minimally invasive approach and positive patient outcomes. However, postoperative seroma formation remains a significant issue. This study investigates the efficacy of defect closure combined with hernia belt compression during LIHR to reduce the incidence of seroma formation. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 375 patients who underwent LIHR at our institution from January 2021 to January 2024. Among them, 121 patients received defect closure combined with hernia belt compression (Group A), 135 patients received defect closure (Group B), 117 patients received neither defect closure nor hernia belt compression (Group C). Collected data included patient demographics(sex, BMI, hernia orifice size, hernia site, and comorbidities such as diabetes) and perioperative variables (operative time, hospital stay, the time to resume normal activity, and seroma formation incidence). The operation times of the three groups were 64.54 ± 3.23 min, 65.23 ± 4.06 min and 58.44 ± 6.90 min, respectively. Closure of the hernia defect significantly prolonged the operation time. (P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed among the groups in intraoperative complications, hospital stay, the time to resume normal activity (P > 0.05). During follow-up period, the number of postoperative seroma cases in the groups was 3, 11 and 19, respectively. The incidence of seroma in Group A was significantly lower than that of Group B and Group C (P < 0.05). Our findings indicate that combing defect closure with hernia belt compression effectively reduces seroma formation following LIHR. These results provide valuable guidance for optimizing surgical practice and postoperative management in LIHR.