To evaluate the efficacy of single-site versus double-site laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia through a meta-analysi.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing single-site and double-site laparoscopic surgery for pediatric inguinal hernia published up to December 2022 were retrieved from PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), FMRS, VIP, and Wanfang databases. RevMan 5.3 software was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of different surgical approaches between the single-site group and the double-site group in the treatment of pediatric inguinal hernia.

A total of 16 RCTs were included after literature screening, involving 1415 patients in the single-site group and 1409 patients in the double-site group, with a total of 2824 patients. The single-site group was superior to the double-site group in operative time, length of hospital stay, intraoperative blood loss, and incision size, with statistically significant differences (P<0.01). The incidence of surgical complications and the probability of postoperative recurrence were both lower in the single-site group than in the double-site group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.01). Funnel plot analysis of the mean operative time suggested no publication bias (P=0.115).

Transumbilical single-site laparoscopic surgery for pediatric inguinal hernia has clear advantages in shortening operative time and hospital stay, reducing intraoperative blood loss, improving cosmetic outcomes of the incision, and lowering the incidence of postoperative complications and inguinal hernia recurrence.