Should asymptomatic contralateral inguinal hernia be laparoscopically repaired in the adult population as benefits greatly outweigh risks? A systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: When laparoscopically repairing a symptomatic inguinal hernia, surgeons will discover a contralateral asymptomatic hernia in 22% of patients. It is estimated 30% of asymptomatic hernias become symptomatic and require repair. Thus, should they be repaired in a 2-for-1 operation? The main purpose is to examine the evidence and make a recommendation for the need to repair the contralateral asymptomatic inguinal hernia prophylactically in the adult population during unilateral inguinal hernia presentation. METHOD: A systematic literature search was conducted up to 15 February 2021 using PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Management pathway taken, mean operating time, duration of follow-up, pain, duration of hospital stay and perioperative complications were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. RESULTS: Six non-randomised studies (1774 patients) were included; 978 patients had both hernias repaired, 796 patients had only the symptomatic hernia repaired. There was no significant difference in length of hospital stay, return to activities of daily living nor complications. Mean operating time was slightly lower for patients who had unilateral hernia repair (mean difference = − 14.57 min, 95%CI − 25.59, − 3.45). Reported pain scores were lower for patients who only had one hernia repaired (− 0.33 units, 95%CI − 0.48, − 0.18). The overall risk of bias for the six studies were low-to-moderate risk. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic inguinal hernias can be repaired when found. While there is minimal increase in operation time and pain, no significant difference to total hospital stay. Importantly, this is likely to prevent the need for another operation in almost a third of patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10029-022-02611-z.