External feasibility and early outcomes of circular-incision transabdominal preperitoneal repair (C-TAPP) for unilateral indirect inguinal hernia: A prospective Vietnamese series.

BACKGROUND

Circular-incision transabdominal preperitoneal repair (C-TAPP) is a variation of TAPP developed in Japan, in which the preperitoneal plane is entered through a circumferential peritoneal incision around the deep inguinal ring and the distal indirect sac is left in situ. Evidence of its reproducibility outside Japan remains limited. We evaluated the external feasibility and early outcomes of C-TAPP in a Vietnamese center.

METHODS

This prospective, single-center observational study included 51 consecutive adults with unilateral indirect inguinal hernia who underwent C-TAPP between September 2024 and January 2026. The primary outcome was completion of the planned procedure without conversion. Secondary outcomes included operative time, peritoneal-closure time, postoperative pain, analgesic requirement, hospital stay, complications, seroma, and recurrence at 1 and 3 months.

RESULTS

All 51 procedures were completed as C-TAPP without conversion (100%; 95% CI, 93.0-100%). Mean operative time was 45.47 ± 3.01 min and peritoneal-closure time was 4.37 ± 0.98 min. No intraoperative complications occurred. Mean VAS decreased from 3.65 ± 0.48 at 6 h to 2.14 ± 0.35 at 24 h, and no patient required NSAIDs or opioids. Ultrasonography detected seroma in 6 patients (11.8%) at 1 month; all resolved without intervention by 3 months. No recurrence was detected at either follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

C-TAPP was technically reproducible in selected Vietnamese patients with unilateral indirect inguinal hernia, with no conversion or early recurrence. Longer-term and comparative studies are needed to establish durability and potential advantages over conventional TAPP.