BACKGROUND: Benefits of laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) over open hernia repair (OH) remain unproved. METHODS: Interim analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial compared OH with LH where study outcomes were measured by third-party evaluators through patient interviews. RESULTS: Both groups were well matched for all baseline parameters, although LH patients anticipated a quicker postoperative recovery than OH (p = 0.014). No significant difference was noted in operating time or surgeon operative satisfaction. The median duration of hospital stay was 1 day in both groups; LH patients made use of significantly less postoperative narcotics than OH (p = 0.02). No difference was observed in the durations of convalescence (LH, 9.6 +/- 7.6 days; OH, 10.9 +/- 7.4 days). Greater improvements in quality of life were exhibited in LH patients than OH patients 1 month after operation (p = 0.035), with one of the two measures used. A greater percentage of LH patients seemed "very satisfied with their operation" (p = 0.07). Complication rates were similar, and a single recurrence, in a patient in the OH group, has been observed after a median follow-up of 14 months. CONCLUSIONS: Direct cost measurements showed LH to be 40% more expensive than OH in the context of a Canadian-type health care system. To date, benefits in postoperative pain and possibly quality of life have been detected in the LH group.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Benefits of laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) over open hernia repair (OH) remain unproved. METHODS: Interim analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial compared OH with LH where study outcomes were measured by third-party evaluators through patient interviews. RESULTS: Both groups were well matched for all baseline parameters, although LHpatients anticipated a quicker postoperative recovery than OH (p = 0.014). No significant difference was noted in operating time or surgeon operative satisfaction. The median duration of hospital stay was 1 day in both groups; LHpatients made use of significantly less postoperative narcotics than OH (p = 0.02). No difference was observed in the durations of convalescence (LH, 9.6 +/- 7.6 days; OH, 10.9 +/- 7.4 days). Greater improvements in quality of life were exhibited in LHpatients than OH patients 1 month after operation (p = 0.035), with one of the two measures used. A greater percentage of LHpatients seemed "very satisfied with their operation" (p = 0.07). Complication rates were similar, and a single recurrence, in a patient in the OH group, has been observed after a median follow-up of 14 months. CONCLUSIONS: Direct cost measurements showed LH to be 40% more expensive than OH in the context of a Canadian-type health care system. To date, benefits in postoperative pain and possibly quality of life have been detected in the LH group.
Authors: Gerwin A Bernhardt; Gerald Gruber; Benjamin S Molderings; Herwig Cerwenka; Mathias Glehr; Christian Giessauf; Peter Kornprat; Andreas Leithner; Hans-Jörg Mischinger Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2013-09-06 Impact factor: 4.584