The Management of Indirect Inguinal Hernia Sac in Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Systemic Review of Literature

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the current management strategy of indirect hernia sac during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the various indirect hernia sac management strategies when performing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Data Sources: Major databases (PubMed, Embase, Springer, and Cochrane Library). Review Methods: MeSH and free-text searching include "laparoscopic inguinal hernia" "TAPP," "TEP," "inguinal hernia," "indirect inguinal hernia sac," "distal sac," "sac transection," "sac ligation," and "sac reduction." Results: The present study enrolled 7 trials, 4 studies compared the results of indirect hernia sac transection and complete sac reduction. The pooled results indicated that indirect hernia sac transection was associated increased seroma formation (odds ratio = 2.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.41-4.31), and there was no statistical difference in the incidence of postoperative pain, operative time, hernia recurrence, and time to return to normal activity between the sac transection and sac reduction groups. Two studies reported the application of adjuncts in the management of distal sac during laparoscopic large inguinoscrotal hernia repair. The seroma formation could be reduced by adjuncts of fixing the distal hernia sac to posterior abdominal wall with either suture or tacks. Conclusion: Indirect sac transection during laparoscopic indirect inguinal hernia repair is associated with a higher incidence of postoperative seroma. Additional adjuncts to the divided distal hernia sac, including distal sac fixation with either suture or tacks, are effective methods to prevent postoperative seroma.