BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic repair is becoming a popular treatment for recurrent inguinal hernia. The true long-term recurrence of this method is unknown. METHODS: Patients who underwent laparoscopic recurrent inguinal hernia repair at our institution were followed up. Patients were interviewed by phone at least 6 months following surgery and examined by the same surgeon. RESULTS: Between April 1995 and November 2000, 150 laparoscopic repairs of recurrent inguinal hernia were performed in 130 patients. The average operative times were 56 and 68 min for unilateral and bilateral repairs, respectively. There was one conversion to an open procedure. Three patients had intraoperative complications, all identified and repaired laparoscopically. Minor postoperative complications occurred in 24 patients (18.5%), seroma being the most common. There were no injuries to the bowel or major vessels. The average postoperative stay was 1.3 days (range, 0.5-13). Average follow-up was 37 months (range, 7-75). In all, 123 patients (94.6%) were available for interview. Regular activity was resumed by 10.7 days (range, 1-90) and strenuous activity at 24.5 days (range, 1-90). A total of 106 patients with 122 hernias (81.3%) were examined. There were seven recurrent hernias (5.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic repair of recurrent inguinal hernia is effective and has superior long-term results as compared to historical series. If the cost could be reduced, it should probably become the method of choice for the repair of recurrent inguinal hernia.
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