COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ETEP AND TAPP LAPAROSCOPIC MESH REPAIR FOR BILATERAL INGUINAL HERNIA IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is a common surgical procedure, with laparoscopic techniques such as Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP) and Total Extraperitoneal (TEP) gaining popularity due to their minimally invasive nature and potential benefits over open surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of Extended View Total Extraperitoneal (eTEP) and TAPP laparoscopic mesh repair techniques specifically for bilateral inguinal hernias at a tertiary care teaching hospital.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2023 to March 2024 involving 40 adult patients (20 in each group) with bilateral inguinal hernias. Data on operative times, postoperative pain scores, hospital stay, and tacker usage were collected and analyzed using independent sample t-tests and Pearson chi-square tests.

Results: Baseline characteristics including age and BMI were similar between the eTEP and TAPP groups. eTEP showed a significant advantage in operative time compared to TAPP (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in postoperative pain scores (p = 0.264) or hospital stay (p = 0.757) between the two techniques. However, eTEP required significantly fewer tackers for mesh fixation compared to TAPP (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The study suggests that eTEP may offer advantages over TAPP in terms of operative efficiency and reduced tacker usage for bilateral inguinal hernia repair. Both techniques showed comparable outcomes in terms of postoperative pain and hospital stay. These findings contribute to the evidence base supporting the use of eTEP as a viable option for improving surgical outcomes in inguinal hernia repair.