Robotic Session
AB073. SOH26AB_0328. Robotic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: the early experience
Mohammed Al Azzawi1,2, Lorcan Lalor1,2, Antonina Tecancenco1,2, Fiachra McHugh1,2, Jennifer McGarry1,2, Gordon Daly1,2, Brenda Murphy1,2, Abeeda Butt1, Arnold Hill1,2
1Department of General Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland;
2Department of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Background: Inguinal surgery remains one of the most common procedures worldwide. The introduction of minimally invasive robotic surgery has progressed slowly but steadily over the past few years. Better ergonomics, three-dimensional (3D) vision, and instrument dexterity improve the operative experience. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of our early experience with robotic inguinal hernia repair.
Methods: A prospectively maintained database of the first forty patients who underwent robotic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) inguinal hernia repair at a Tertiary University Hospital between October 2023 and October 2025. All procedures were performed using the Da Vinci X, Xi, and single-port (SP) robots. The database included patients’ basic demographics, clinical, and follow-up outcomes. The Core Outcome Measures Index questionnaire was used to assess patients’ satisfaction postoperatively. Data analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism version 8.4.2 (GraphPad Software LLC, San Diego, CA, USA).
Results: The mean age was 48.4 [standard deviation (SD), 14] years; the mean body mass index (BMI) was 27 (range, 21–35) kg/m2; and the majority of patients were male (n=28). Only three cases were bilateral; the remaining were unilateral, and one case was a recurrence following open hernia repair. The mean duration of surgery was 99.6 (range, 58–147; SD, 23.6) min. All procedures were day cases apart from two due to postoperative urinary retention and a myoclonus episode following anaesthesia. There were no intraoperative complications and no 90-day morbidity, readmission, or reoperation. Two patients presented with operative site pain; imaging did not detect recurrence. Twenty patients answered the PROM questionnaire. Most were satisfied with the procedure outcomes; 7/20 experienced testicular pain, none experienced movement limitations, and two felt the mesh when bending down.
Conclusions: Robotic TAPP inguinal hernia repair is a safe and feasible approach with low perioperative complications and morbidity and a high patient satisfaction rate.
Keywords: Inguinal hernia; robotic surgery; clinical outcomes; patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs); hernia recurrence
Acknowledgments
None.
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab073
Cite this abstract as: Al Azzawi M, Lalor L, Tecancenco A, McHugh F, McGarry J, Daly G, Murphy B, Butt A, Hill A. AB073. SOH26AB_0328. Robotic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: the early experience. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB073.
