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. 2021 Jan;56(1):121-125.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.09.022. Epub 2020 Nov 4.

Long-term outcomes of pediatric laparoscopic needled-assisted inguinal hernia repair: A 10-year experience

Denise I Garcia  1 , Charles Baker  1 , Sahil Patel  1 , Andre V Hebra  2 , Robert A Cina  3 , Christian J Streck  3 , Aaron P Lesher  4
Affiliations

Long-term outcomes of pediatric laparoscopic needled-assisted inguinal hernia repair: A 10-year experience

Denise I Garcia et al. J Pediatr Surg. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) has gained wide acceptance over the past decade, although studies with longer term follow-up are lacking. We present one of the largest cohorts of children undergoing laparoscopic needle-assisted repair (LNAR) with long-term follow-up.

Methods: A clinical quality database was maintained for children ≤14 years of age who underwent laparoscopic needle-assisted repair between 2009 and 2017 with review of follow-up through 2019. De-identified data was reviewed.

Results: 1023 patients with 1457 LNAR were included during the 10-year period. Mean age at surgery was 2.56 years (2 days to14 years). The overall hernia recurrence rate was 0.75% (11/1457). A total of four postoperative hydroceles required intervention. Preterm infant repair done <60w post conceptional age had a significantly lower recurrence rate (0.63%) than other patients (0.82%) (p < 0.01). 64.2% of patients had clinical follow-up over a period of 11 years with a mean follow-up of 5.97 years.

Conclusion: We present a large cohort study of consecutive pediatric laparoscopic hernia repairs followed over an 11-year period. LNAR is safe and effective for term and preterm patients with similar complication rates to other techniques, including open repair. Additionally, our results suggest that preterm infants may have superior outcomes with this method.

Level of evidence: Level III - Retrospective Comparative Study.

Keywords: Laparoscopic hernia repair; Laparoscopic needle-assisted repair; Prematurity.

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