The clinical implications of occult inguinal hernia identified during laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion.

BACKGROUND: Occult inguinal hernias predispose patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) to symptomatic inguinal hernia formation causing complications. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the usefulness of routine laparoscopic examination for occult inguinal hernia during PD catheter insertion and the risk profile of occult inguinal hernia according to hernia classification in patients with PD.

METHODS: This study included 79 patients who underwent initial laparoscopic PD catheter insertion between 2021 and 2022. An occult hernia was defined as an internal hernial sac of all sizes that was not detectable on physical examination. The European Hernia Society groin hernia classification was used to describe the hernia type. We investigated the association between event-free survival and occult inguinal hernias in patients undergoing PD.

RESULTS: Occult inguinal hernias were diagnosed in 24 (32%) patients. Among these patients, 5 (21%) patients underwent metachronous repair. In patients with L2 occult hernias, the cumulative incidence rates of right and left symptomatic hernias within one year were 100% and 50%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that L2 occult hernias were associated with metachronous hernia repair.

CONCLUSION: The L2 occult inguinal hernia during PD was associated with metachronous repair, suggesting the importance of routine examination of inguinal hernias during laparoscopic PD catheter insertion.