Effects of obesity on outcomes of laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: a retrospective analysis

TL;DR

This study found no significant differences in surgical outcomes between obese and nonobese patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Contribution

The study provides evidence that obesity does not worsen outcomes in laparoscopic TAPP hernia repair when proper surgical techniques are used.

Findings

Obese and nonobese patients had similar recurrence rates, infection rates, and hospital stays.

Operative times were slightly longer for obese patients but not statistically significant.

Proper surgical expertise and management led to comparable outcomes in both groups.

Abstract

Inguinal hernia repair, particularly the transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) technique, is common worldwide. Obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) can influence surgical outcomes, potentially resulting in longer operative time, higher complication rate, and prolonged hospital stay.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of obesity on surgical outcomes following laparoscopic TAPP inguinal hernia repair.

We retrospectively reviewed data from patients who underwent laparoscopic TAPP inguinal hernia repair between September 2021 and December 2023. We included patients aged 18 years or older who had elective unilateral TAPP repair for primary inguinal hernia. The patients were categorized based their BMI as obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) and nonobese (BMI <⁠30 kg/m2). Outcomes assessed included recurrence rate, surgical site infections (SSIs), operative time, and length of hospital stay.

We analyzed 201 patients of whom 30 (14.8%) were obese and 171 (85.2%) were nonobese. Recurrence rates were 6.67% in the obese and 2.35% in the nonobese patients (P = 0.222). No SSIs were observed in the obese patients, as compared with 1.76% in the nonobese individuals (P = 1). Mean (SD) operative time was 78.87 (31.88) minutes for the obese and 70.28 (27.25) minutes for the nonobese patients (P = 0.203). Mean (SD) hospital stay was 3.13 (0.35) days for the patients with and 3.05 (0.28) days for those without obesity (P = 0.086).

There were no significant differences in recurrence rates, SSIs, operative time, or hospital stay between the obese and nonobese patients. Appropriate surgical expertise and perioperative management can result in comparable outcomes for both groups. Further research is recommended to understand the impact of obesity on hernia recurrence.