A case control study of needlescopic herniotomy versus open herniotomy in children

INTRODUCTION: Since the inception of laparoscopy, it has been explored in many fields of surgery, like in the abdomen, hernia, thorax, etc., Laparoscopic hernioplasty in adults is being practiced by many surgeons nowadays. However, the role of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in pediatric patients is not well-established, even though it is being explored as an alternative to open herniotomy procedure. In the present study, laparoscopic needlescopic hernia repair was compared with the conventional open herniotomy procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was a case-control study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in northeast India during 2018–2021. A total of 25 patients underwent needlescopic hernia repair, the outcome of which was compared by collecting data of 25 more patients who earlier underwent open herniotomy repairs. RESULTS: The laparoscopic needlescopic repair took a longer operative time as compared to the open technique with a smaller-sized incision. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic needlescopic hernia repair is a safe and feasible procedure with a similar outcome to open herniotomy but with a smaller scar.