ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) can be used to examine the asymptomatic contralateral side and repair occult contralateral hernias coincidentally with reduced morbidity. In this prospective study, we evaluated the results of diagnostic exploration of the right side during total extraperitoneal (TEP) laparoscopic repair of left side inguinal hernias. METHODS: A prospective study of 100 consecutive male patients undergoing TEP repair by a single surgeon (C.S) between January and June 2008 was conducted. Two cases that had transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) prosthetic repair and one intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) were excluded. We routinely explored the contralateral side to determine the incidence of right side occult hernia. RESULTS: The mean age was 52 (range; 18~82 years). Among the 100 patients, 17 had bilateral, 52 right and 31 left hernias on physical examination prior to surgery. Three of 31 diagnosed preoperatively as left inguinal hernia were confirmed to have occult right hernias (3/31, 9.7%). Among the three patients, two patients with a direct type had the same type of hernia as on the contralateral side (2/10, 20%). Another one patient with an indirect type had direct type of hernia on the contralateral side (1/21, 4.8%). CONCLUSION: Given the low incidence of contralateral side occult hernia with indirect types of hernias, routine exploration may not be indicated during TEP repair. However, it might be, reasonable to explore the contralateral side in patients with a direct type of hernia because of the higher incidence of contralateral occult hernias.