A survey of general surgeons regarding laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: practice patterns, barriers, and educational needs

Repair of inguinal hernias in men is a common surgical procedure, but the most effective surgical technique is unknown. We randomly assigned men with inguinal hernias at 14 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to either open mesh or laparoscopic mesh repair. The primary outcome was recurrence of hernias at two years. Secondary outcomes included complications and patient-centered outcomes. Of the 2164 patients who were randomly assigned to one of the two procedures, 1983 underwent an operation; two-year follow-up was completed in 1696 (85.5 percent). Recurrences were more common in the laparoscopic group (87 of 862 patients [10.1 percent]) than in the open group (41 of 834 patients [4.9 percent]; odds ratio, 2.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 3.2). The rate of complications was higher in the laparoscopic-surgery group than in the open-surgery group (39.0 percent vs. 33.4 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 1.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.6). The laparoscopic-surgery group had less pain initially than the open-surgery group on the day of surgery (difference in mean score on a visual-analogue scale, 10.2 mm; 95 percent confidence interval, 4.8 to 15.6) and at two weeks (6.1 mm; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.7 to 10.5) and returned to normal activities one day earlier (adjusted hazard ratio for a shorter time to return to normal activities, 1.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.3). In prespecified analyses, there was a significant interaction between the surgical approach (open or laparoscopic) and the type of hernia (primary or recurrent) (P=0.012). Recurrence was significantly more common after laparoscopic repair than after open repair of primary hernias (10.1 percent vs. 4.0 percent), but rates of recurrence after repair of recurrent hernias were similar in the two groups (10.0 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively). The open technique is superior to the laparoscopic technique for mesh repair of primary hernias. Copyright 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society

Guidelines for medical practice can contribute to improved care only if they succeed in moving actual practice closer to the behaviors the guidelines recommend. To assess the effect of such guidelines, we surveyed hospitals and obstetricians in Ontario before and after the release of a widely distributed and nationally endorsed consensus statement recommending decreases in the use of cesarean sections. These surveys, along with discharge data from hospitals reflecting actual practice, revealed that most obstetricians (87 to 94 percent) were aware of the guidelines and that most (82.5 to 85 percent) agreed with them. Attitudes toward the use of cesarean section were congruent with the recommendations even before their release. One third of the hospitals and obstetricians reported changing their practice as a consequence of the guidelines, and obstetricians reported rates of cesarean section in women with a previous cesarean section that were significantly reduced, in keeping with the recommendations (from 72.2 percent to 61.1 percent; P less than 0.01). The surveys also showed, however, that knowledge of the content of the recommendations was poor (67 percent correct responses). Furthermore, data on actual practice after the publication of the guidelines showed that the rates of cesarean section were 15 to 49 percent higher than the rates reported by obstetricians, and they showed only a slight change from the previous upward trend. We conclude that guidelines for practice may predispose physicians to consider changing their behavior, but that unless there are other incentives or the removal of disincentives, guidelines may be unlikely to effect rapid change in actual practice. We believe that incentives should operate at the local level, although they may include system-wide economic changes.

To determine whether laparoscopic methods are more effective and cost-effective than open mesh methods of inguinal hernia repair, and then whether laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair is more effective and cost-effective than laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP). Electronic databases. Conference proceedings. Manufacturers' submissions to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) were reviewed. Selected studies were rigorously assessed. Dichotomous outcome data were combined using the relative risk method and continuous outcomes were combined using the Mantel-Haenszel weighted mean difference method. Time to return to usual activities was described using hazard ratios derived from individual patient data reanalysis. A review of economic evaluations undertaken by NICE in 2001 was updated and an economic evaluation was performed. The estimation of cost-effectiveness focused on the comparison of laparoscopic repair with open flat mesh. A Markov model incorporating the data from the systematic review was used to estimate cost-effectiveness for a time horizon up to 25 years. Thirty-seven randomised control trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs met the inclusion criteria on effectiveness. Fourteen studies were included in the review of economic evaluations. Laparoscopic repair was associated with a faster return to usual activities and less persisting pain and numbness. There also appeared to be fewer cases of wound/superficial infection and haematoma. However, operation times are longer and there appears to be a higher rate of serious complications in respect of visceral (especially bladder) injuries. Mesh infection is very uncommon with similar rates noted between the surgical approaches. There is no apparent difference in the rate of hernia recurrence. Laparoscopic repair was more costly to the health service than open repair, with an estimated extra cost from studies conducted in the UK of about 300-350 pounds per patient. The point estimates of cost provided by the economic model also suggest that the laparoscopic techniques are more costly (approximately 100-200 pounds more per patient after 5 years). From the review of economic evaluations, the estimates of incremental cost per additional day at usual activities were between 86 pounds and 130 pounds. Where productivity costs were included, they eliminated the cost differential between laparoscopic and open repair. Additional analysis incorporating new trial evidence suggested that TEP was associated with significantly more recurrences than open mesh but these data did not greatly influence cost-effectiveness. For the management of unilateral hernias, the base-case analysis and most of the sensitivity analysis suggest that open flat mesh is the least costly option but provides less quality adjusted life years (QALYs) than TEP or TAPP. TEP is likely to dominate TAPP (on average TEP is estimated to be less costly and more effective). It is likely that, for management of symptomatic bilateral hernias, laparoscopic repair would be more cost-effective as differences in operation time (a key cost driver) may be reduced and differences in convalescence time are more marked (hence QALYs will increase) for laparoscopic compared with open mesh repair. When possible repair of contralateral occult hernias is taken into account, TEP repair is most likely to be considered cost-effective at threshold values for the cost per additional QALY above 20,000 pounds. The increased adoption of laparoscopic techniques may allow patients to return to usual activities faster. This may, for some people, reduce any loss of income. For the NHS, increased use of laparoscopic repair would lead to an increased requirement for training and the risk of serious complications may be higher. Chronic pain should now be addressed prospectively using standard definitions and allowing assessment of the degree of pain. More evidence is required on the loss of utility caused by persisting pain and numbness, as well as serious complications resulting from minor surgery. Prospective population-based registries of new surgical procedures may be the best way to address this, as a complement to randomised trials assessing effectiveness. Further research relating to whether the balance of advantages and disadvantages changes when hernias are recurrent or bilateral is also required as current data are limited. Methodologically sound RCTs are needed to consider the relative merits and risks of TAPP and TEP. Further methodological research is required into the complexity of laparoscopic groin hernia repair and the improvement of performance that accompanies experience.