Incidence of Cord Hydrocele After Laparoscopic Intracorporeal Inguinal Hernia Repair in Male Pediatric Patients: A Comparative Study Between Removing and Leaving the Hernial Sac.

Purpose: Many laparoscopic repair techniques are available for treating pediatric inguinal hernias. The development of a cord hydrocele (CH) after laparoscopic pediatric inguinal hernia repair (LPIHR) in male patients can lead to reoperation. We performed the present study to evaluate the effects of hernial sac removal on the occurrence of CH after laparoscopic transabdominal inguinal hernia repair in male patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 3145 male pediatric patients aged <10 years who underwent LPIHR from January 2014 to March 2017. We categorized patients into two groups according to the operative technique: Group 1 (high ligation without hernial sac removal, 1592 patients) and Group 2 (high ligation with hernial sac removal, 1553 patients). We removed the hernial sacs in the first half of the study period and not in the second half of the study period. We analyzed the surgical outcomes in both groups after the same follow-up period of ≥2.5 years. Results: We found no significant differences in demographic or clinical parameters between the treatment groups. CH occurred in 6 patients in Group 1 only; no patients in Group 2 developed CH (0.38% [6/1592] versus 0.00% [0/1553], respectively; P  = .044). The interval from the initial hernia repair to the hydrocelectomy in 6 patients was 20.8 months. The recurrence rate was higher in Group 1 (0.4%, 7/1592) versus Group 2 (0.0%, 0/1553) ( P  = .025). In the logistic regression test, Group 2 predicted a lower CH occurrence rate than Group 1 (odds ratio = 1.004, 95% confidence interval = 1.001-1.007; P  = .016). Conclusion: Our findings indicated that hernial sac removal resulted in a small but significant decrease in the risk of postoperative CH.