Extended View Totally Extraperitoneal Technique and Its Advantages in Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair

Endoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) is used increasingly in inguinal hernias. Perhaps the most fundamental difficulty of the classical TEP method is that the dissection plan it offers is overly limited, which is among the reasons why techniques other than TEP are preferred in large scrotal hernias. This study discusses our experience with the extended view totally extraperitoneal (e-TEP) method, which significantly expands the dissection plan compared to the classical method. Patients who had inguinal hernia surgery in 2018 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, and 21 male patients with L3 inguinal hernia by European Hernia Society classification, who underwent laparoscopic e-TEP surgery, were included in the study. Patient data were obtained from the hospital's electronic database and patient files. One year after the surgery, the patients were invited to the hospital by telephone and re-examined. The median patient age was 47 years. The mean duration of surgery was 43.6 minutes, and the median postoperatively pain score in the first 24 hours was 1.975. Zig maneuver was performed in 85.7%, and drains were placed in 33.4% of patients. In 28.6% of patients, the peritoneal violation occurred. However, there was no conversion to another surgical technique. The mean length of stay was 1.33 days. Two patients had seroma, one had scrotal edema, and one had urinary retention. No recurrence was observed in any patient during the 1-year follow-up. According to our experience, the e-TEP technique can be safely performed in scrotal hernias as it offers a larger dissection plane. It also allows patients with large scrotal hernias to benefit from all the advantages of the TEP technique.