Needlescopic Surgery Versus Single-port Laparoscopy for Inguinal Hernia

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Surgical Innovation
• Hernia Repair Techniques

Background:

• Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) inguinal hernia repair has evolved with needlescopic (nTAPP) and single-port (sTAPP) techniques.
• These advancements aim to improve patient outcomes and minimize surgical trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the surgical trauma and postoperative consequences of nTAPP versus sTAPP for inguinal hernia repair.
• To evaluate abdominal wall impact, pain, recovery time, and cosmetic satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 50 nTAPP and 35 sTAPP procedures.
• Data collected included operative time, incision length, postoperative pain, sick leave duration, hernia recurrence, abdominal wall mobility, and cosmetic satisfaction.

Main Results:

• nTAPP procedures had significantly smaller umbilical incisions (13 mm vs 27 mm) and shorter operative times (54.8 min vs 85.9 min).
• Patients in the nTAPP group reported less immediate postoperative pain (2.7 vs 4.4 VAS) and shorter sick leave (11.2 days vs 24.1 days).
• Both techniques showed comparable long-term abdominal wall mobility, cosmetic satisfaction, and no hernia recurrence after ~30 months.

Conclusions:

• Needlescopic TAPP (nTAPP) demonstrates clear advantages over single-port TAPP (sTAPP) for uncomplicated inguinal hernias.
• nTAPP results in less surgical trauma, reduced operating time, decreased postoperative pain, and shorter sick leave periods.