Transabdominal pre-peritoneal (TAPP) versus totally extraperitoneal (TEP) laparoscopic techniques for inguinal hernia repair

Background: Hernia repair is one of the most frequently performed surgeries worldwide. Surgical treatment is usually successful in the majority of cases. However, a recurrence rate of 10% is reported irrespective of the surgical approach. Postoperative pain and disability are frequent. Laparoscopic repair has largely replaced open surgery in the treatment of inguinal hernia. Objectives: To evaluate TAPP and TEP laparoscopic techniques for treatment of inguinal hernia repair regarding safety and outcome. Patients and methods: This prospective randomized clinical trial study was carried out on 40 patients with inguinal hernia who underwent laparoscopic repair. Patients were distributed into 2 groups, group A patients had transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair while group B patients underwent totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair. Both groups were evaluated according to occurrence of intraoperative complications, operative time, bleeding amount, hospital stay, postoperative pain (visual analogue scale) and duration for return of bowel movements. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between both groups in each studied parameter. However, there was significantly less postoperative pain in TAPP group (p-value= 0.008) and TEP group (p-value= 0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, both TAPP and TEP achieved similar results in the parameters evaluated during this study. Both approaches can be used in the treatment of inguinal hernia repair