To explore the rationality, safety and effectiveness of single incision laparoscopic totally extra-peritoneal hernia repair (SIL-TEP) for inguinal hernia in day surgery mode.

To retrospectively analyze the data of 363 patients who underwent inguinal hernia TEP day surgery from March 2020 to February 2021 in the Shanghai General Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Among them, 120 patients underwent SIL-TEP surgery (single-incision group) and 243 cases underwent conventional TEP surgery (three-port group). Indicators in the perioperative period and follow-up period were observed and compared between the two groups.

All patients in the two groups successfully completed in day surgery mode and discharged on schedule. There was no delayed discharge or department transference. There was no significant difference in age, gender composition, BMI, hernia type and location, operation time between the two groups. One case in the single-incision group was transferred to the traditional three-port TEP, and there was no transfer case in the three-port group. The visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain in the single-incision group was lower than that in the three-port group at 4 hours and 1 day after the surgery, and the time to get out of bed was shorter in the single-incision group than that in the three-port group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The rate of unrestricted activity recovery was similar at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery (P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 9 (4~15) months, and the follow-up rate was 98.6%. The postoperative complications were urinary retention, hematoma and seroma, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). There were no recurrence case and no serious complication in the two groups.

It is safe, reliable and feasible to carry out SIL-TEP surgery in day surgery mode.