THE ROLE OF THE ENDOSCOPIC EXTRAPERITONEAL APPROACH IN LARGE INGUINALSCROTAL HERNIAS

The role of endoscopic extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (EEPH) in the man agement of giant scrotal hernias has not been well defined, and the te chnical details relating to operations on such hernias have not been d escribed. We present our experience with 17 patients undergoing repair of giant scrotal hernias. Foley catheter bladder decompression was ro utinely employed. The Retzius space was developed early in the procedu re and hernia sac contents were reduced in all cases. The inferior epi gastric vessels were likewise divided in all patients, The average ope rative time was 76 min and all patients were discharged home the same day. There have been no recurrences on follow-up. There was no mortali ty, and morbidity was limited to seroma formation in two patients. We conclude that with certain technical modifications, EEPH can be safely employed for the treatment of giant scrotal hernias.