Purpose: The aim of this article was to compare the outcomes of tissue adhesive fixation and the staple fixation of meshes in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
Materials and methods: A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify studies that compare adhesive fixation and staple fixation of meshes in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
Results: The present meta-analysis pooled the effects of outcomes of a total of 1228 patients enrolled into 8 randomized controlled trials. Tissue adhesive fixation of the mesh was associated with less chronic postoperative pain after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair compared with staple fixation (risk difference=-0.06; 95% confidence interval, -0.08, -0.04). However, statistically, there was no significant difference in the incidence of acute postoperative pain, recurrence, hematoma/seroma, and wound infection.
Conclusion: The use of the tissue adhesive fixation method reduces the incidence of chronic postoperative pain after laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, and without any changes in the other outcomes.