Does the Mesh Have to be Fixed in Laparoscopic eTEP Repair of Inguinal Hernia?

Inguinal hernia surgery is one of the most frequently performed procedures among general surgery cases. As with many open surgical methods, this repair is also performed laparoscopically. Among these closed methods, the one method is laparoscopic extended total extraperitoneal repair (eTEP). The benefits of laparoscope include less postoperative pain and complications, faster recovery, reduced chronic pain, and recurrence rate.

One of the recent debates regarding the laparoscopic technique is mesh fixation. Fixation of the mesh to the cooper ligament can prevent mesh migration and consequently reduce the recurrence rate. However, it has been reported that this fixation may increase postoperative pain. Several studies have reported that recurrence may be due to inadequate mesh fixation technique. In contrast, other prospective randomized studies have found relapse unrelated to mesh fixation.

In the eTEP technique, dissection is performed in a larger area than in TEP. For this reason, it can be thought that the possibility of mesh displacement is higher in the eTEP procedure. The purpose of this study is to confirm this idea with a prospective study. There are studies in the literature on mesh fixation related to the total extraperitoneal repair (TEP) technique. However, there is no study on mesh detection in the eTEP technique. The aim of the study is to compare patients who underwent without mesh fixation laparoscopic TEP and eTEP repair in terms of clinical data such as mesh displacement and hernia recurrence, chronic pain, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications.