Experience with a New Technique for Laparoscopic Hernia Repair in Small Children and Infants

During recent years, the trend toward laparoscopic approach for hernia repair in children has been increasingly justified [1, 2]. The ability to detect and repair the contralateral patencies simultaneously, along with safety of the procedure are the cornerstones of the selection of the laparoscopic approach as a reliable alternative to the conventional open techniques[3]. Although many authors believe that the laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is superior to the traditional approach in the view of improved cosmesis and fewer recurrences, there are still some issues about its popularity, especially regarding the acceptable cosmetic results, along with the short operative time and brief hospital stay and the high success rate of open conventional technique. We performed 50 inguinal hernia repairs by laparoscopic technique during 2.5 years from April 2006 to October 2008 in our hospital. Forty-one children including 34 males and 7 females underwent operation by this technique. Hernia in 25 cases was right-sided and in 7 left-sided. Two patients had recurrence following previous hernia repair through groin incision. 32 cases presented with unilateral hernia and 9 patients had bilateral inguinal hernia.