[Trends in endoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia: collective review of meta-analyses and randomized controlled...

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed general surgical procedures and endoscopic herniorrhaphy has been performed around the world. We review the meta-analysis and recent large randomized controlled trials of endoscopic versus open repairs for inguinal hernia. Currently available evidence shows that endoscopic herniorrhaphy, when compared with open herniorrhapy, is associated with less persisting pain and numbness, earlier return to normal activity, and a lower risk of hematoma and wound infection, but this technique takes longer and has more serious complications. Hernia recurrence is comparable to open mesh methods and less common than after open non-mesh methods. More carefully conceived and executed studies are needed to establish the future role of endoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia repair.