EP.TH.961Meta-analysis of Spinal Anaesthesia Versus General Anaesthesia During Laparoscopic Total Extraperitoneal Repair of Inguinal Hernia

Objectives To evaluate comparative outcomes of spinal anaesthesia (SA) and general anaesthesia (GA) during laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of inguinal hernia. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; CENTRAL, and bibliographic reference lists. Post-operative pain assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS), individual and overall perioperative morbidity, procedure time and time taken to normal activities, were the outcome parameters. Combined overall effect sizes were calculated using fixed-effect or random-effects models. Results We identified 5 studies enrolling 1,518 patients (2,134 hernia) evaluating outcomes of laparoscopic TEP repair under SA (n = 1,277 patients, 1,877 hernia) or GA (n = 241 patients, 257 hernia). SA was associated with significantly lower post-operative pain assessed by VAS at 12 hours (MD: - 0.32, P < 0.0001) and shorter time to normal activities (MD: -0.30, P = 0.002) compared to GA. However, it significantly increased risk of urinary retention (OR:4.02, P = 0.01), hypotension (OR:3.97, P = 0.004), headache (OR:7.65, P = 0.003), and procedure time (MD: 3.82, P = 0.004) There was no significant difference in VAS at 24 hours (MD:0.06, P = 0.34), seroma (OR:1.54, P = 0.26), wound infection (OR:1.03, P = 0.94), and vomiting (OR:0.84, P = 0.66) between two groups. There was a non-significant decrease in overall morbidity in favour GA (OR:1.84, P = 0.17) which became significant following sensitivity analysis (OR:2.59, P = 0.01). Conclusions Although TEP inguinal hernia repair under SA may reduce pain in early postoperative period, it seems to be associated with increased postoperative morbidity and longer procedure time. It may be an appropriate anaesthetic modality in selected patients who are considered high risk for GA. Higher level of evidence is needed.

Assessment of early outcome in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair using lightweight mesh

Background: Laparoscopic surgery is dominating in the field of hernia. The search for the ideal prosthetic biomaterial has been a longstanding issue with debate over simple versus composite biomaterial and lightweight versus heavyweight meshes. This study was done to evaluate the early outcome of lightweight mesh in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair.Methods: This prospective observational study was done for a period of 16 months. On the basis of selection criteria patient underwent laparoscopic TEP repair using light weight mesh, early outcomes were evaluated in terms of immediate postoperative pain (analysed via visual analog scale) and chronic groin pain (analysed by visual analogue scale and graded according to Cunningham), patients were also evaluated for operation time, intraoperative bleeding, seroma, stiffness or numbness around groin, or any other complications.Results: There was no intraoperative bleeding among any of the patients. Immediate post-operative pain assessed by visual analogue scale 20% scored one in the visual analogue scale in post-operative day 1. None of the patients were having any complications (like stiffness or numbness in groin or thigh and any other complication) during post-surgery follow up. Only one patient reported mild chronic groin pain at the end of 3 months after surgery.Conclusions: The short term results of laparoscopic TEP repair for inguinal hernia using light weight mesh are quite encouraging. We can conclude that light weigh mesh is fulfilling important role in successful hernia repair as it is associated with very less morbidity.

Case Report: How an Iliac Vein Lesion During Totally Endoscopic Preperitoneal Repair of an Inguinal Hernia Can Be Safely Managed

Inguinal hernia repair is a common surgical procedure with an acceptably low complication rate. However, complications with potentially life-threating consequences may occur in rare cases. These complications might be very challenging to manage, even more in laparo-endoscopic interventions compared to open repair. One of these challenges can be the treatment of an intraoperative injury to the iliac vein. To the best of our knowledge, a lesion of the iliac vein during TEP (totally endoscopic preperitoneal) for inguinal hernia repair, and a safe technique for its management have not been reported yet. We report the case of a 75-year-old male patient with previous abdominal surgery scheduled for TEP repair of an inguinal hernia. During surgery, the iliac vein was damaged. If we had performed a laparotomy in this situation, the potentially life-threatening condition of the patient could have deteriorated further. Instead, to avoid a potential CO2 associated embolism, the preperitoneal pressure was gradually reduced, and the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) was increased in the manner that a balance between excessive bleeding and potential development of a CO2 embolism was achieved. The injured vein was sutured endoscopically, and in addition a hemostatic patch was applied. We then continued with the planned surgical procedure. Thrombosis of the sutured vein was prevented by prophylactic administration of low molecular weight heparin until the 14th postoperative day. We conclude that in case of major vein injury during TEP, which might happen irrespective of prior abdominal surgery, the preperitoneal pressure and PEEP adjustment can be used to handle the complication.

O38: TACKING VERSUS NO TACKING IN LAPAROSCOPIC TOTALLY EXTRAPERITONEAL REPAIR OF PRIMARY INGUINAL HERNIA - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Introduction The necessity of mesh fixation in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness of mesh tacking versus no tacking in laparoscopic TEP repair for primary inguinal hernia. Materials and Methods PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched for relevant articles from inception until November 2019. All studies that compared tacking versus no tacking in TEP repairs for inguinal herniae were included. Recurrent and femoral herniae were excluded from the current analysis. The primary outcome measure was recurrence, while secondary outcomes included postoperative pain scores at discharge and at 1 month, mean operative time, length of stay and seroma rates. Random effects models were used to calculate pooled effect size estimates. Result Eight randomised controlled trials were included capturing 557 patients and 715 inguinal herniae. On random effects analysis, there were no significant differences between tacking and no tacking in terms of recurrence (OR 0.94, 95% CI=0.10 to 9.28, p=0.96), postoperative pain scores on discharge (Mean difference 0.82, 95% CI=-0.35 to 2.00, p=0.17) or at 1 month (Mean difference 0.53, 95% CI=-0.75 to 1.82, p=0.41), mean operative time (Mean difference 1.58 mins, 95% CI=-0.22 to 3.37, p=0.09), seroma (OR=0.70, 95% CI=0.28 to 1.74, p=0.44) or length of stay (Mean difference 0.11 days, 95% CI=-0.04 to 0.25, p=0.14). Conclusion Mesh tacking in laparoscopic TEP repair for primary inguinal herniae does not translate into improved postoperative outcomes and may be omitted. Take-home message Mesh tacking in laparoscopic TEP repair for primary inguinal herniae does not translate into improved postoperative outcomes and may be omitted.

Comparison of Outcomes of Open Tension-free Mesh Repair and Totally Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Repair of Inguinoscrotal Hernias

Background: This study aimed to determine the differences in postoperative complications experienced by patients with inguinoscrotal hernia after laparoscopic versus open repair, and the association of risk factors to development of postoperative complications. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients with inguinoscrotal hernias who had either Lichtenstein repair or totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic (TEP) repair from January 2014 to December 2017. Results: The study was performed on evaluable data that could be extracted for 49 patients: 14 were offered TEP repair and 35 Lichtenstein repairs. There was no statistical difference in the mean operative time and mean time taken to return to normal activities between the two groups. The length of hospital stay was one day for both groups. Two patients from the TEP repair group and one patient from the Lichtenstein repair group developed recurrence. Three patients from the TEP group and one patient from the Lichtenstein repair group developed chronic groin pain. One patient from the totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic repair group developed a seroma. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a trend towards better postoperative outcomes in the Lichtenstein repair group than in the TEP group. Keywords: Open tension-free mesh repair, Totally extraperitoneal laparoscopic repair, Inguinoscrotal hernias

A Single Surgeon’s Experience of Total Extra Peritoneal Repair Vs Transabdominal Preperitoneal Repair- A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Hernia surgery has evolved over a period of 2500 years from the Bassini-Shouldice era to conventional Lichenstein’s meshplasty to the laparoscopic era. Since, inception of the laparoscopic approach 25 years ago, there were several advancements in the techniques of inguinal hernia repairs. The two most commonly practiced laparoscopic approaches are the Total Extra Peritoneal (TEP) and Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP) repair. Aim: To compare the outcomes for TEP and TAPP approaches in laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery in terms of operative time consumed, postoperative pain, duration of hospital stay, complications and recurrence rate when performed by a single surgeon. Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional cohort study was carried out among 70 patients with uncomplicated inguinal hernia. Patients were divided equally into two groups of 35 patients and underwent TAPP and TEP repairs depending on group randomisation. All surgeries were performed by the same surgeon. Factors including operative time, postoperative pain, duration of hospital stay, complications and recurrence were documented and compared for both the groups. The statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21. Unpaired t-test was used to compare the mean between the two groups. The p-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The mean operative time measured in minutes for TEP repair was 31.03 minutes and TAPP repair was 42.26 showing a difference of 11.23 minutes which was statistically significant (p-0.001). The mean Standard Deviation (SD) pain score at 24 hours for TEP repair was 2.43 (1.195) and TAPP repair was 3.43 (0.917). The mean (SD) pain score at 48 hours for TEP repair was 1.31 (1.051) and TAPP repair was 2.20 (0.901). The mean (SD) pain score at one week for TEP repair was 0.37 (0.690) and TAPP repair was 0.91 (0.781). The mean (SD) duration of hospital stay in TEP repair was 2.60 days (0.553) when compared to 3.49 days (0.658) in TAPP repair. All the results were statistically significant with a p-value of 0.001. Conclusion: TEP repair had superior outcomes in terms of reduction in operative time, less postoperative pain and shorter hospital stay than TAPP repair.