Effect of a Pediatric Surgeon's Primarily Performed Technique on Inguinal Hernia Recurrence Rates A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Infographic · Jan 2026 · 1 min read

In brief

Multicenter study of 207 surgeons performing pediatric inguinal hernia repairs found that surgeons primarily using open technique had 3.6% recurrence with laparoscopic approach versus 0.9% with open, while laparoscopic-preferring surgeons showed equivalent 1.7% recurrence rates with both techniques, highlighting the importance of maintaining proficiency in chosen approach.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.

The infographic presents three vertical columns, each illustrating a different in vitro culture model for studying lung branching morphogenesis. Each column contains microscopy images showing tissue structures at different time points, with arrows indicating progression. The layout uses a clean scientific poster style with labeled diagrams and representative fluorescence microscopy images showing epithelial and mesenchymal tissue organization.

Kathleen Heller, Brielle V Ochoa, Stephanie F Brierley, Benjamin E Padilla; Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Collaborative Group

Purpose: To investigate the effect of surgeons' preferred repair technique for pediatric inguinal hernia repair (IHR) -laparoscopic versus open-on hernia recurrence rates.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients aged <18 years old who underwent IHR at 21 children's hospitals from 2017 to 2019 with 3 year follow up. Surgeons preferring open hernia repair performed ≥70 % of hernia repairs open (Open surgeons). Surgeons preferring laparoscopic hernia repair performed ≥70 % of hernia repairs laparoscopically (Laparoscopic surgeons). Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression were utilized.

Results: Among 207 surgeons, 125 (60.4 %) were Open surgeons, and of those 54 (43.2 %) performed at least 1 laparoscopic IHR. The inguinal hernia recurrence rates for Open surgeons were 0.9 % for open IHR and 3.6 % for laparoscopic IHR, p < 0.001. There were 58 (28.0 %) Laparoscopic surgeons and of those 44 (75.9 %) performed at least 1 open IHR. The inguinal hernia recurrence rates for Laparoscopic surgeons were 1.7 % for laparoscopic IHR and 1.7 % for open IHR, p = 1.000. For open IHR, no significant difference in recurrence rates was observed between Open and Laparoscopic surgeons (0.9 % versus 1.7 %, p = 0.230). For laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs, Open surgeons had higher recurrence rates than Laparoscopic surgeons with odds ratio of (3.6 % versus 1.7 %, p = 0.019).

Conclusions: Open surgeons have higher inguinal hernia recurrence rates when performing laparoscopic IHR. No difference in hernia recurrence rates following open and laparoscopic repair was noted for Laparoscopic surgeons. Pediatric surgeons dividing cases between open and laparoscopic IHR should take caution to maintain adequate proficiency in both.

The text in the image

In Vitro Culture Systems for Pseudoglandular Stage Mouse Embryonic Lungs | Whole Lung Culture | Mesenchyme-Free Epithelial Culture | Organoid Culture | E11.5 | E12.5 | E13.5 | Day 0 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Epithelium | Mesenchyme | Branching Morphogenesis | Scale bars: 100 μm | Methods can be translated to human fetal samples