[Laparoscopic treatment of recurrent inguinal hernia after only mesh]

The recurrences of inguinal hernia after onlay mesh may cause technical difficulties for a new repair. The aim of our study was to assess intraoperative findings, feasibility and results of laparoscopic transpreperitoneal mesh onlay in this indication. Twenty-one repairs were performed. In all cases, direct, internal, inguinal recurrences were observed, associated in two cases with an external or femoral recurrence. In 16 cases, there were no adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. The were no conversions and peritonealisation was always completed. The mean length of hospitalization was 2.7 days. Our study suggests that technical errors during the first procedure, insufficient mesh or wrongly positioned are responsible for recurrence and allow reinsertion of a mesh laparoscopy via transpreperitoneal in this indication.