Shouldice Versus TAPP for Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled...

Inguinal hernia (IH) repair is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide. Among the various techniques available, the Shouldice (SHD) technique is mainly used for nonmesh open repair whereas, the transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach is a commonly performed minimally invasive method. Despite its widespread use, a direct comparison between the two techniques is lacking. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the short and long-term outcomes of SHD and TAPP for elective IH repair.

We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library on April 16. Mean differences (MDs) and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled for continuous and binary endpoints, respectively. Heterogeneity was assessed with I² statistics.

Thirteen RCTs comprising 2214 patients were included. Of these, 1089 patients (49%) underwent SHD repair and 1125 (51%) patients underwent TAPP repair. The mean BMI was reported in four studies ranging from 23 to 25.7 kg/m². Data regarding hernia sizes were not available. Compared with TAPP, SHD significantly reduced seroma (RR 0.20; 95% CI 0.04-0.90; p = 0.04; and I² = 0%) and increased chronic pain (RR 2.13; 95% CI 1.31-3.46; p < 0.01; and I² = 0%) and 1-day postoperative pain (MD 2.01; 95% CI 0.72-3.29; p < 0.01; and I² = 97%). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in recurrence (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.66-1.35; p = 0.75; and I² = 12%), hematoma (RR 1.08; 95% CI 0.80-1.46; p = 0.63; and I² = 0%), urinary retention (RR 0.82; 95% CI 0.49-1.36; p = 0.43; and I² = 0%), and testicular atrophy (RR 3.28; 95% CI 0.79-13.54; p = 0.10; and I² = 0%).

SHD repair demonstrated a lower occurrence of seromas; however, it was associated with a higher occurrence of both acute and chronic postoperative pain compared to TAPP in patients with a normal BMI. No significant differences were observed between the two techniques in terms of hernia recurrence, hematoma formation, urinary retention, or testicular atrophy rates.