Laparoscopic treatment is better than open technique for primary inguinal hernia in women

A study published in Surgical Endoscopy examined results from laparoscopic versus open technique for inguinal hernia in women. The data were obtained from the national registry in Sweden. The number of hernias was 13,945. A total of 649 had hernia recurrence (4.6 %).

The laparoscopic method gave less recurrence for inguinal hernia (1.8 % vs 6.3 %, p<0.001) and for femoral hernia (2.2 % vs 5.5 %, p=0.005). There was no difference between the type of keyhole method used. The conclusion was that the laparoscopic method gives a lower risk of a new hernia in the same location than open technique.