Sliding Inguinal Bladder Hernia: An Open and Minimally Invasive Robotic-Assisted Repair

Inguinal hernia repair, although a common procedure, can present in complicated ways such as a sliding inguinal bladder hernia (IBH). This rare type of hernia can alter a patient’s quality of life by obstructing urination, requiring manual scrotal compression to fully empty the bladder, and lead to devastating complications such as hydronephrosis and kidney failure. Treatment is typically by open inguinal hernia repair with manual bladder reduction, but this method poses risks of iatrogenic injury to the bladder. Within this case series, IBH repairs via open and robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures are compared, and the morbidity and mortality of each method are analyzed. Although risk of recurrence is similar for both procedures, robotic surgeries are linked to decreased postoperative pain and length of hospital stay. The ease of dissection of pelvic anatomy and detailed view of the associated structures that robotic surgery can provide during a complex hernia repair encourages its use for IBH.