Year: 2026 | Month: September | Volume: 16 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 175-184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260920
A Comparative Study on Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal versus Lichtenstein Repair for Inguinal Hernia Management: Assessing Effectiveness and Outcomes
Akansha Jain1, Ajay Kumar Thakral2, Sheikh Viqar Manzoor3, Sadaf Feroz4
1,2,3,4Department of General Surgery, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi, India.
Corresponding Author: Akansha Jain
ABSTRACT
Background: Amongst the most frequent human inflictions that a surgeon encounters, inguinal hernia is one of the most prevalent. While laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has traditionally been preferred predominantly for bilateral and recurrent cases, it has become increasingly viable and proficient for primary and unilateral repair. In this study, we aimed to compare Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Repair (TAPP) with Open Lichtenstein tension free mesh Repair for inguinal hernia in terms of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes.
Materials and methods: This prospective comparative study was conducted over a span of 1.5 years from December 2022 - May 2024 including 76 participants. Two groups were formed by convenience sampling: TAPP and Open hernioplasty. Demographic data, intraoperative findings, duration of surgery, early postoperative complications such as acute pain was recorded at 12 hours, 24 hours, and 72 hours post-surgery using the Visual Analogue Scale noted. Occurrence of urinary retention and SSO was recorded. The postoperative discharge day was noted, and follow-up was done after 7 days, 14 days, 1 month, and 6 months. Data was analyzed critically.
Results: Among 76 patients, 98.7% were male and mean age 50 yr. No significant difference between the study groups was noted. Mean operative duration was more in Laparoscopic TAPP group for both unilateral and bilateral repair with p - value of 0.0131 and 0.0003 respectively. Visual analogue scale was more in Open hernioplasty group than Laparoscopic TAPP group with significant p – value at 12 hour of 0.003 and at 72 hour of 0.006. 15% and 22.9% developed urinary retention in post-operative period in Laparoscopic TAPP and Open hernioplasty group respectively. 21.05 % cases in laparoscopic TAPP group and 13.16 % cases in Open hernioplasty group developed seroma in post op period. At 6 months follow up, it was observed that 15.8 % and 26.3 % in TAPP and Open group respectively had persistent pain while, half of them had severe pain limiting daily activities.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic TAPP is now being accepted as a preferred procedure for inguinal hernioplasty because of its minimally invasive characteristic, while Lichtenstein Open hernioplasty might be preferred in cases where laparoscopic expertise is limited or when dealing with certain anatomical variations. Overall, the choice between laparoscopic TAPP and Lichtenstein open inguinal hernioplasty should consider factors such as surgeon expertise, patient preference, and hernia characteristics.
Key words: Inguinal hernia, Transabdominal preperitoneal approach, Lichtenstein repair, Open inguinal hernioplasty