[size=20px]You are asked to assess a former 32 week premature male infant with bilateral inguinal hernias. He is now 60 weeks corrected gestational age. An advantage of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair compared to the open approach is the decreased:

 

a Need for general anesthetic

 

b Risk of complications

 

c Operative time for bilateral inguinal hernias

 

d Operative time for unilateral inguinal hernias

 

e Rate of recurrence​[/size]

E

C

C

D

b

C

Correct answer

C Operative time for bilateral inguinal hernias

 

One of the advantages of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in children is decreased operative time for patients with bilateral hernias. Operative time for unilateral hernias, however, is similar with either approach. There are no differences between laparoscopic and open inguinal hernia repair in terms of risk of recurrence or overall complications.

 

The risk for a metachronous inguinal hernia appears to be higher in children who undergo open repair. Despite this, the management of an incidental patent processus vaginalis remains controversial and is an area of ongoing research.

 

Its option c