INGUINAL PLASTIA, LAPAROSCOPIC APPROACH VS OPEN APPROACH: EXPERIENCE IN NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER

We are living in an era where laparoscopic surgery came to revolutionize the approach to different surgical procedures, including the repair of inguinal hernias. These surgeries have been performed at Centro Medico Naval since 2016, so an analysis of the clinical evolution of patients compared to the gold standard that is the Lichtenstein technique is essential. Objective: To compare the clinical results of patients with inguinal hernias operated by laparoscopy and open surgery attended at the Naval Medical Center. Material and methods: 91 electronic records of patients with a diagnosis of inguinal henia who underwent surgery were analyzed. Descriptive and inferential analysis was performed in order to compare laparoscopic inguinal plasty versus Lichtenstein technique. Results: No statistically significant differences were found for the variables of length of hospital stay or complications. However, the recovery time for the incorporation of the patient to work life was shorter for the group of patients operated by laparoscopic surgery with an average of 7 days shorter. Conclusions: At Centro Medico Naval, laparoscopic surgery offers an alternative for the treatment of inguinal hernias, incorporating patients into their working life in a shorter time, with no difference in complications.