Laparoscopic repair of recurrent inguinal hernias.

Background: Repair of recurrent inguinal hernias is associated with recurrence rates as high as 30% and complication rates higher than for primary hernias.

Patients And Methods: In a prospective study, results were evaluated after laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair in 192 patients with 200 recurrent inguinal hernias. A total of 132 hernia repairs followed one previous repair, 41 followed two repairs, 17 followed three repairs, 6 followed four, 3 followed five, and 1 followed six previous repairs.

Sonography in the postoperative evaluation of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

We evaluated the use of sonography as a means of assessing hernial occlusion and possible postoperative changes such as hematomas or seromas in the inguinal and scrotal regions after 1139 laparoscopic repairs of hernias between August 1992 and November 1994. Changes after laparoscopic hernia repair were found in 307 patients (27%). Hematomas or seromas were seen in 132 patients, protrusion of the prosthetic mesh in 17, mesh infection in two, and small bowel entrapment in an insufficient peritoneal suture in two.

[Laparoscopic surgery of inguinal hernia by transperitoneal implantation of an artificial mesh. Technique and early results].

We report on 250 patients with 342 inguinal hernias operated laparoscopically by pre-peritoneal implantation of a prosthetic mesh. 167 hernias were indirect, 175 direct, including 92 bilateral, 71 recurrent and 4 femoral hernias. There were four major complications: two lesions of the urinary bladder, treated in one case by laparotomy and two foreign body reactions against the mesh, which had to be removed.