Comparison of early and late period outcomes of transabdominal pre-peritoneal technique and Lichtenstein technique in repair of bilateral inguinal hernia

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to compare the early and late period outcomes of transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) technique and Lichtenstein technique (LT), which are two different methods used in the surgical treatment of bilateral inguinal hernia.
METHODS: Patients who were operated for bilateral inguinal hernia at Erzurum Regional Education and Research Hospital between January 2015 and January 2021 were selected for the study retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the surgery performed: TAPP technique group and LT group. Complications occurred in the first 30 days of the post-operative period were defined as early period outcomes, and complications occurred after the first 30 days postoperatively were defined as late period outcomes. The outcomes differences between TAPP technique and LT were evaluated with appropriate statistical tests, and p=0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: During the study period, 110 patients underwent bilateral inguinal hernia surgery. One hundred and nine patients (99.1%) were men. The mean age of all patients was 56.6±14.27 years (20-84). TAPP technique group had 28 (25.5%) patients. Overall morbidity rate and length of hospital stay were higher in LT group, p=0.029 and p<0.001, respectively. There was no difference between the groups in terms of recurrence (p=0.255).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Comorbid diseases and age of the patients are important factors in the selection of surgical method. TAPP technique, which reduces the overall morbidity and shortens the duration of hospital stay and does not have a significant increase in terms of recurrence, can be performed safely in bilateral inguinal hernia cases.