Laparoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair in the Elderly: A Prospective Control Study

Inguinal hernia (IH) repair can be obtained with both open and laparoscopic techniques, which are usually performed using a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) or a totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the results of laparoscopic TEP IH repair in the elderly (>= 65 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients. One hundred and four consecutive patients (four women and 100 men, median age of 57 years, range=21-85 years) with unilateral (N=21, 20.2%) or bilateral (N=83, 79.8%) IH were prospectively enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: group A (N=68, 65.4%) aged <65 years and group B (N=36, 34.6%) aged >= 65 years. The mean operative time was not significantly different between groups (48 +/- 20 vs. 52 +/- 20 min, p=0.33). One case of increased PaCO2 was observed in each group (p=0.72) and two and one case of pneumoperitoneum (p=0.57) in groups A and B, respectively. Two (1.9%) patients (one in each group; p=0.55) required TEP conversion. Mild postoperative complications developed in four patients of each group (p=0.44). After one-year follow-up, three (2.9%) recurrences occurred (group 1=1, group 2=2, p=0.55), both in patients who had undergone direct IH repair. The overall postoperative relative risk of complications related to age was 1.08 (95% confidence interval=0.91-1.27, p=0.53). In conclusion, our results suggest that in patients with IH scheduled for TEP repair, age does not represent a contraindication to surgery in terms of complication rate and postoperative results.