Laparoscopic hernioplasty / hernia repair is performed with general anesthesia and requires use of a breathing tube. Three half-inch or smaller incisions are made in the lower part of the abdomen. In laparoscopic hernia repair, a camera called a laparoscope is inserted into the abdomen to visualize the hernia defect on a monitor. The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes about 30 minutes (less than an hour for a repair to both sides).
Laparoscopic repair was associated with a lower risk of chronic groin pain compared with open repair. In the four systematic reviews assessing any laparoscopic versus any open repairs, laparoscopic repair was associated with a statistically significant (range: 26–46%) reduction in the odds or risk of chronic pain.
Laparoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia repair is safe. The chance of a hernia coming back is low when the repair is done by an experienced surgeon who uses mesh patches. Synthetic patches are now widely used for hernia repair in both open and laparoscopic surgery.
