Single Incision Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Repair for Strangulated Groin Hernia

Introduction: Single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) has become more popular for various surgical procedures including hernia surgery. Initial results of SILS in elective hernia repair were comparable to those of conventional laparoscopic approaches. However the use of SILS in emergency case has not been widely reported. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the use of single incision laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair for patients presenting with strangulated groin hernia. Method: Emergency single incision laparoscopic TAPP repair were performed in our unit from June 2011 onwards for selected patients. Retrospectively data including the patient demographics, operative time, type of hernia, hospital stay, complications and recurrence rate were collected and analyzed. Result: There were a total of five patients in this series from June 2011 to June 2012. The median age was 62 years old with a male to female ratio of 4:1. Four patients had unilateral hernia (one femoral and three inguinal hernias) and one had bilateral hernia (unilaterally strangulated femoral hernia and bilaterally reducible indirect inguinal hernia). The median operative time was 75 minutes for patients with unilateral repair. None of the patients required bowel resection. The conversion rate to either conventional laparoscopic or open repair was zero. The median hospital stay was 2 days. No major complication or recurrence was detected. Conclusion: This series showed that single port laparoscopic TAPP repair for strangulated groin hernia is a feasible option with no major complication reported.