A STUDY OF COMPARISON OF PURE TISSUE REPAIR (DESERDA) AND PROSTHETIC REPAIR (LICHTENSTEIN) METHODS FOR INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR-A COMPARATIVE STUDY

INTRODUCTION: An ideal hernia repair should be tension free, tissue based, with no potential damage to vital structures, no long term pain or complications and no recurrence. Although Lichtenstein's prosthetic repair is simple and safe, but it is also correlated with risk of infections, recurrence, chronic pain, testicular atrophy and infertility, foreign body sensations and chronic groin sepsis. Desarda hernia repair does not require mesh and provide more physiological support. It is simple, easy to learn. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: a) To compare the operative time, postoperative stay and time required to return normal activity between two groups. b) To compare early complication rate and late complication rate between two groups. MATERIALAND METHODS: This observational study was conducted among patients admitted with the diagnosis of primary inguinal hernia in SMIMER, Surat. The patients were randomly allocated to either Lichtenstein or Desarda method of hernia repair. Operating time, post operative stay and duration of return to normal activity were recorded. Early complications were noted and the patients were followed up to 12 months for late complications (chronic pain, foreign body sensation, and recurrence). RESULTS: The mean operative time and postoperative stay did not show signicant differ for both groups. Patients operated by Desarda technique returned to normal activity signicantly early by 12.2 ± 2.54 days as compared to patients operated by Lichtenstein techniques (14.0 ± 2.76 days, p = 0.01). Most common early complication in both groups was pain (D group; 40.0%, Lgroup: 45.2%) followed by wound infection (D group; 8.0%, Lgroup: 6.5%) and seroma (D group; 0.0%, Lgroup: 3.2%). Occurrence of chronic pain was more in Lgroup (58.1%) as compared to D group (16.0%, p=0.001). None of the patients from D group had foreign body sensation. Foreign body sensation was observed only in ve patients of Lgroup (16.1%). Recurrence rate during one year in Lgroup (6.5%) was higher than D group (4.0%). CONCLUSION: Early return to work was potential benet of Desarda repair. Early complications were similar in both procedures. Desarda repair has lower incidence of chronic pain and foreign body sensation. However, there is no signicant difference for chronic pain in Desarda group when compared in same patients operated bilaterally with different technique. This study was conducted with small sample size with short follow up. Therefore, result of late complication in the present study may insufcient to conclude the probability of occurrence as longer follow up and larger sample size is required.