One trocar needlescopic assisted inguinal hernia repair in children: a novel technique.

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair using a percutaneous internal ring suturing technique is an effective alternative technique to conventional laparoscopic hernia repair. It is one of the most commonly used approaches for laparoscopic hernia repair in children. However, most percutaneous techniques have utilized extracorporeal knotting of the suture and burying the knot subcutaneously. This approach has several drawbacks. The aim of this study is to present a modified technique for single cannula needlescopic assisted hernia repair in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three-hundred and fifty-seven patients with 397 indirect inguinal hernias underwent a one port needlescopic assisted inguinal hernia repair. The open internal inguinal ring [IIR] was closed using an 18-gauge epidural needle [EN], a 14-gauge venous access cannula [VAC], and a homemade suture device. Saline was injected extraperitoneally around the IIR for hydrodissection. The main outcome measurements were: feasibility, safety of the technique, operative time, recurrence rate, and cosmetic results.

RESULTS: This prospective study was conducted on 357 patients at Al-Azhar, Alexandria, and Mansoura University Hospitals during the period from June 2012 to October 2015. There were 286 males and 71 females. The mean age was 2.6±1.3years (range=4months to 6years). One-hundred and ninety-eight patients presented with a right-sided inguinal hernia, 119 patients with a left-sided hernia, and 40 patients with bilateral inguinal hernia. The mean operative time was 12.6±1.7min (range=8-15min) for unilateral cases and 18.6±1.7min (range=14-20min) for the bilateral repairs. No wound complications or umbilical hernias developed. The mean follow-up period was 18.6±1.2months (range=11-36months). During the follow-up period, no recurrence was detected, and the scars were nearly invisible.

CONCLUSION: This preliminary study shows that a single port needlescopic assisted hernia repair in infants and children is a very promising technique to achieve nearly scarless surgery. The procedure is very safe, rapid, easy to learn, and reproducible.