Open, Laparoscopic, and Robotic Inguinal Hernia Repair All Provide Excellent Outcomes

Lorenz WR, Holland AM, Adam AS, et al. Open versus Laparoscopic versus Robotic Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Propensity-Matched Outcome Analysis. Surgery. 2024.

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed worldwide. Available studies have compared one operative technique with another, but a comparison of all three commonly employed repair techniques has not been previously reported.

The authors performed a propensity matched study comparing outcomes of open, laparoscopic, and robotic inguinal hernia repairs; each comparison group contained 140 patients and there was no difference in age, body mass index, or rates of tobacco use.

Patients undergoing open repairs had significantly more comorbid conditions (COPD, cirrhosis, heart disease) than patients in the laparoscopic and robotic groups. Robotic repairs required significantly more time and were associated with higher costs.

Complication and readmission rates (<1% and ≤2%), as well as long-term hernia recurrence rates, (<4%) were not statistically different in the three groups.

The authors concluded that open repairs were performed in higher risk patients, and excellent outcomes were recorded for all three operative approaches.