Single-incision totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair as a teaching procedure: one center's experience of more than 300 procedures.

PURPOSE: To evaluate resident doctors' proficiency in performing single-incision laparoscopic surgery for totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (SILS-TEP), and assess patient outcomes by comparing procedures performed by resident surgeons vs. those performed by staff surgeons.
METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively 301 patients who underwent SILS-TEP between January 2011 and May 2015 at Osaka Police Hospital.
RESULTS: The mean operative times for unilateral and bilateral hernia repairs in the resident-surgeon and the staff-surgeon groups were 99 vs. 88 min, respectively (p < 0.05), and 130 vs. 137 min, respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of conversion to a different procedure between the groups. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 2.0 days for patients from the resident-surgeon group vs. 2.8 days for those from the staff-surgeon group (p < 0.05). Seromas and wound infections developed in 8 % (12/148) of patients from the resident-surgeon group vs. 12 % (19/153) of those from the staff-surgeon group. No other major complications or hernia recurrence were noted in either group.
CONCLUSIONS: SILS-TEP was performed safely, with low morbidity and no recurrence, by the resident surgeons under appropriate guidance by staff surgeons.