Post-operative complications of laparoscopic vs open inguinal hernioplasty

Background: In our most surgical setups, repair of inguinal hernia is the most common elective surgery performed and Lichtenstein mesh repair is commonly performed. Post operatively patients most commonly complain of groin pain and discomfort and remain unsatisfied. Aim: To compare the total extra peritoneal mesh repair with the Lichtenstein mesh repair in terms of frequency of postoperative pain. Study Design RCT. Setting and study duration: 20th Nov. 2017 to 19th May 2018. Dept of Surgery, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi Methods: A total of 100 patients with reducible inguino-scrotal hernia, 20 to 70 years of age were included. Patients with irreducible hernia and recurrent hernia were excluded. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups i.e. Patients underwent (Lichtenstein mesh repair) were designated as Group-A & patient who underwent (total extra peritoneal mesh repair) were designated as Group-B, by using lottery method. Patient was kept in the ward for 24 hour to observe the postoperative pain assessed by visual analogue scale. Results: Average age of patients in group A was 44.98 ± 12.41 years and in group B was 42.78 ± 12.99 years. The most frequent age group in this study was 20-46 years in which 55 (55.0%) patients were present . Postoperative pain was found in 39 (78.0%) patients in group A (Lichtenstein repair) while in group B (TEP repair), it was found in 29 (56.0%) patients with p-value of 0.032. Conclusion: This study concluded that total extra peritoneal mesh repair results are better in terms of (less postoperative pain as that of Lichtenstein mesh repair.