Transfascial suture versus tack fixation of mesh in totally extraperitoneal repair of inguinal hernia: A prospective comparative study

Purpose: Among laparoscopic surgeries in inguinal hernias, totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair has demonstrated favourable results in reduction of post-operative pain and mean operative times with early return to physical activity. We have done a prospective comparative study on two different techniques of mesh fixation, i.e., transfascial suture and tack fixation. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective, non-randomised comparative study done on inguinal hernia patients operated by TEP repair from October 2014 to September 2016. These data were compared in two techniques of mesh fixation (tack and transfascial sutures) in terms of post-operative complications, pain scores by visual analogue scale (VAS) and cost analysis of the procedure. Results: Our study on 69 total patients (44 tack fixation and 25 suture fixation group) revealed that mean VAS scores for post-operative pain were not having any statistically significant difference in the tack group versus suture group (2.42 +/- 0.24 vs. 2.2 +/- 0.24) at 24 h, but VAS scores in the follow-up period at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months were 1.14 +/- 0.33 versus 0.67 +/- 0.27; 0.78 +/- 0.24 versus 0.07 +/- 0.06; 0.42 +/- 0.17 versus 0.07 +/- 0.06 and 0.5 +/- 0.11 versus 0.07 +/- 0.06, respectively, which showed significant difference at 1 and 3 months, suggesting less pain in the suture group. No significant difference was noted in other post-operative complications. Conclusion: Transfascial suture fixation of mesh in TEP repair of inguinal hernia can be a cost-effective procedure with a comparable safety profile as compared to tack fixation.