Clinical efficacy of laparoscopic closed hernia ring combined with a patch repair for Gilbert type III indirect inguinal hernia

PurposeThe incidence of seroma and postoperative pain after Gilbert type III inguinal hernia repair is high. To reduce postoperative complications, this study investigated the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic closed hernia ring combined with a patch repair for Gilbert type III indirect inguinal hernia.MethodsThrough a prospective randomized controlled study, a total of 193 patients with Gilbert type III indirect inguinal hernia admitted to Nanchong Central Hospital affiliated with Chuanbei Medical College from May 2020 to December 2021 were selected and randomly divided into the inner ring closed group (85 patients) and the inner ring non-closed group (95 patients). The patients in both groups underwent laparoscopic tension-free repair of their inguinal hernias. General information such as operative time, postoperative hospital stay, and hospital cost were compared between the two groups, and the patients were followed up at 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days and then 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery to compare complications such as incidence of seroma, volume of the seroma fluid, incidence of pain, and visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score.ResultsThere was no conversion to open procedures in any of the patients. The operation time of the closed group was significantly longer than that of the non-closed group (64.2 ± 12.2 vs. 55.3 ± 9.5 min, P 0.05). The postoperative follow-up period was 3–20 months, and no chronic pain or recurrence occurred during the postoperative follow-up period in either group.ConclusionsClosure of the hernia ring is safe and effective for laparoscopic hernia repair for Gilbert type III inguinal hernia, and it significantly reduces the incidence of postoperative seroma and further reduces the postoperative pain without increasing the risk of postoperative infection and recurrence.