Lichtenstein or Robotic TAPP Repair of Groin Hernias After Abdominal Prostatectomy: a Single Centre Retrospective Comparative Study

In the personal practice of the investigators, there has been a decrease in open groin hernia repair from 17% to 6% since the introduction of robotic assisted surgery. This reflects a change in indication for complex hernias from an open to a minimal invasive approach. One of the typical indications for open approach before adopting the robotic platform were groin hernias after previous abdominal prostatectomy. Since prostatectomy results in scarring of the retropubic area where we need to dissect during MIS groin hernia repair, an open anterior approach is often suggested. With the enhanced view and instrument dexterity of the robotic platform, the investigators have now changed to a minimal invasive approach in these patients.

Therefore, this study will evaluate the clinical outcome after robotic assisted repair of groin hernias in patients who previously underwent an abdominal prostatectomy in comparison to open groin hernia repair.