Single-stage repair of giant inguinoscrotal hernias using the abdominal wall component separation technique

Management strategy of giant inguinoscrotal hernia-a case series of 24 consecutive patients surgically treated over 17 years period

PURPOSE

Management of giant inguinoscrotal hernia (GIH) is still a challenging procedure associated with a higher risk of intraabdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome as a life-threatening condition. The aim of the study was to present our management strategy for GIH.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of a case series including 24 consecutive patients with 25 GIH who underwent reconstructive surgery from January 2006 to June 2023, at the University Clinic for Digestive Surgery and Hernia Center Zuvela. A combined surgical strategy was applied: the modified Rives repair for groin hernias alone, Rives combined with organ resection to reduce hernia contents, and Rives combined with procedures for abdominal cavity enlargement. A surgical approach was defined based on the patient's general health, the volume of the hernia sac, and perioperative parameters.

RESULTS

All patients were male aged between 43 and 82 years. Rives was the only procedure in 12 patients. In addition to Rives, omentectomy was performed in four patients and intestinal resection in one. Abdominal cavity enlargement was performed following Rives hernioplasty in 9 patients. The median operative time was 215 min (range, 70-720). Surgical complications occurred in seven patients. In-hospital mortality was 12.5%. There was no groin hernia recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Our strategy is a single-stage treatment including modified Rives repair with or without additional procedures for abdominal cavity enlargement or hernia volume reduction, tailored to the individual patient characteristics. The procedure is associated with a higher risk of major morbidity requiring a well-trained intensive care unit team.

Botulinum Toxin A as an Adjunct for the Repair Giant Inguinal Hernias: Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

The management of giant inguinoscrotal hernias remains a challenge as a result of the loss of the intra-abdominal domain from long-standing hernia contents within the scrotum. Multiple techniques have been described for abdominal wall relaxation and augmentation to allow the safe return of viscera from the scrotum to the intraperitoneal cavity without adversely affecting cardiorespiratory physiology. Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum, phrenectomy, and component separation are but a few common techniques previously described as adjuncts to the management of these massively large hernias. However, these strategies require an additional invasive stage, and reproducibility remains challenging. Botulinum toxin A (BTA) has been successfully used for the management of complex ventral hernias. Its use for these hernias has shown reproducibility and a low side effect profile. In the present report, we describe our institutional experience with BTA for giant inguinal hernias in two patients and present a review of the literature. In one case, a 77-year-old man with a substantial cardiac history presented with a giant left inguinal hernia that was interfering with his activities of daily living. He had BTA six weeks prior to inguinal hernia repair. Repair was performed via an inguinal incision with a favorable return of the viscera into the peritoneum. He was discharged on the same day of the operation. A second patient, 78 years of age, had a giant right inguinoscrotal hernia. He had a significant cardiac history and was treated with BTA six weeks prior to inguinal hernia repair via a groin incision. Neither patient had complaints nor recurrence at 7- and 3-month follow-ups. While the literature on this topic is scarce, we found 13 cases of inguinal hernias treated with BTA as an adjunct. BTA might be a promising adjunct for the management of giant inguinoscrotal hernias in addition to or in place of current strategies.

Repair of a giant inguinoscrotal hernia with herniation of the ileum and sigmoid colon: A case report

BACKGROUND

Giant inguinoscrotal hernias are huge inguinal hernias that extend below the midpoint of the inner thigh in the standing posture. Giant inguinoscrotal hernias are rare in developed countries because of their better medical resources and early treatment. However, they can develop in patients who refuse surgery or ignore their condition. Intervention is inevitable because strangulation and organ perforation can occur, leading to peritonitis and sepsis. Common surgical approaches include open abdominal and inguinal approaches or a combination of both.

CASE SUMMARY

We present the case of a 73-year-old man who visited our emergency department with a huge mass in his left scrotum and septic complications. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a large left inguinoscrotal hernia that contained small bowel loops and the colon. Emergency surgical intervention was performed immediately because intestinal strangulation was highly suspected. The operative repair was performed using a combination of mini-exploratory laparotomy and the inguinal approach. The incarcerated organs, which included the ileum and sigmoid colon, had relatively good intestinal perfusion without perforation or ischemic changes. They were successfully reduced into the abdomen, and bowel resection was not necessary. A tension-free prosthetic mesh was used for the hernia repair. Two weeks after the initial surgery, and with adequate antimicrobial therapy, the patient recovered and was discharged from our hospital. No evidence of hernia relapse was noted during the outpatient follow-up examination 3 mo after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Emergency surgery involving combined mini-exploratory laparotomy and the inguinal approach should be performed for serious incarcerated giant inguinoscrotal hernias.

Scrotal Abdomen: Case Report and Management Principles

Hernias extending beyond the midpoint of the inner thigh in the standing position are called giant inguinal hernias or scrotal abdomen. They are rarely seen in common surgical practice. Huge inguinal hernias occur after years of neglect by the patient or in areas that are inaccessible to surgical services. Two cases of giant inguinal hernias which were managed successfully are presented here.

Case 1: 80-year-old male patient presented with left giant scrotal abdomen for the past 12 years. Preoperatively, the pulmonary function test was found to be normal for his age. He was given incentive spirometry for a week. Perioperatively, the sac contained the entire small bowel, sigmoid colon, and omentum with inter bowel loop adhesions. Adhesions were released and it was repaired by hernioplasty with left orchidectomy. In the postoperative period, the patient was put on non-invasive ventilation for two days and then later was weaned off.

Case 2: 42 years male patient presented with right-sided giant inguinoscrotal swelling for the past 15 years. The swelling was extending below midthigh. All the preoperative investigations were normal. Perioperatively, the sac contained omentum and small bowel and it was repaired by right hernioplasty. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient recovered well.

These are interesting cases of giant inguinal hernias. The occurrence of such potentially dangerous surgical problems is more common in low-to-middle income countries owing to the unavailability of surgical services. The management involves specific measures to prepare the patient adequately preoperatively especially to prevent respiratory complications in the postoperative period.

Giant inguinal hernias can be comfortably managed if the patients are prepared adequately in the preoperative period. Their postoperative period will be uneventful if their pulmonary functions are normal.

Retrospective analysis of open preperitoneal mesh repair of complex inguinal hernias

PURPOSE

The open posterior approach in the form of either a Stoppa or Wantz operation may be a good alternative technique particularly in the repair of complex inguinal hernias. The term "complex inguinal hernia" designates hernias with a combination of arduous features including large hernia defects, large to giant hernia sacs, multiple recurrences, and bilaterality. In this retrospective analysis, we investigated our results of open posterior repair in view of its feasibility in patients with complex inguinoscrotal hernias.

METHODS

From a series of 845 inguinal hernia patients, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 60 patients with complex inguinal hernias whom were directed to open preperitoneal repair by either a Stoppa or Wantz procedure.

RESULTS

More than 80% of cases were males with large to giant inguinoscrotal hernias. One half of patients had bilateral hernias, and one fourth had recurrent hernias. Early postoperative complications occurred in almost half of patients; however, most of them were minor. The most important early complication in this series was the full recurrences we encountered in the very next morning in two patients. Eighty-three percent of patients left hospital in the first 2 days averaging 1.8 days of hospital stay. The mesh:defect area ratio is < 7 in recurrent hernias while it is > 9 in nonrecurrent cases.

CONCLUSION

The open posterior approach to complex inguinal hernias facilitated both handling and repair of difficult hernias. It was very well tolerated by the patients, and yielded favorable postoperative results. We think the open posterior repair may be a method of choice in the repair of complex inguinal hernias.

Transinguinal preperitoneal repair of giant inguinoscrotal hernias using Kugel mesh

INTRODUCTION

Giant inguinoscrotal hernias are rarely encountered in clinical settings, and their repair is technically challenging. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of transinguinal preperitoneal repair (TIPP) of giant inguinoscrotal hernias using Kugel mesh.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 9 patients with 11 giant inguinoscrotal hernias who underwent TIPP repair using Kugel mesh between December 2008 and January 2019. Demographics and perioperative and postoperative data were collected, and the operative experience was summarized.

RESULTS

The patients underwent a successful repair procedure with simultaneous omentectomy but without resection of the other abdominal organs. The median operation time was 120min, the median intraoperative blood loss was 75mL and the median defect area was 72 cm². The median duration for diet restoration was 4 days, and the median postoperative hospital stay was 6 days. The drainage tube placed in the preperitoneal space was removed after a median duration of 5 days, and the drainage tube placed in the distal hernia sac was removed after a median duration of 6 days. Three patients suffered from a postoperative increase in intra-abdominal pressure, while one patient deteriorated into abdominal compartment syndrome accompanied by respiratory dysfunction. No haematomas, seromas, incisional or mesh infections, recurrence or chronic pain occurred during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

TIPP repair using Kugel mesh is a feasible and effective method for giant inguinoscrotal hernias.

Giant inguinoscrotal hernia--report of a rare case with literature review

Massive inguinoscrotal hernias extending below the midpoint of the inner thigh, in the standing position constitute giant inguinoscrotal hernias. We report a patient who presented with giant right inguinal hernia with bilateral hydrocele for 25 years. He had no cardiorespiratory illnesses. He was taken up for surgery under general anesthesia after preoperative respiratory exercises. Sliding hernia with entire greater omentum, small bowel, and appendix as contents was identified. Meshplasty after omentectomy with bilateral subtotal excision of sac, right orchidectomy, and scrotoplasty were done. Giant inguinoscrotal hernias pose significant problems while replacing bowel contents because of the increase in intraabdominal and intrathoracic pressures. Recurrence is another complication seen after successful surgical management. Various techniques such as preoperative pneumoperitoneum, debulking abdominal contents with extensive bowel resections, or omentectomy and phrenectomy have been tried. Postoperative elective ventilation is also needed in many cases. We describe simple reduction with omentectomy as a viable technique in this patient. He did not need elective ventilation due to preoperative respiratory exercises and preparation and review of the literature.

Giant inguinal hernia: the challenging hug technique

PURPOSE

Giant inguinoscrotal hernia are a real challenge for every kind of surgeon. The technique that we adopt is suggested as a good option to deal with this cases. We report our experience in five cases of giant inguinoscrotal hernia with loss of domain from 2005 to 2012.

METHOD

Five patients with hernia that descended below the knees in the standing position, with an anteroposterior diameter not inferior to 30 cm and a laterolateral diameter of about 50 cm. Penis was not visible. We did the same procedure for all the five patients: single pararectus incision extended to groin region until proximal half of scrotum, isolation of the entire large sac out of the scrotal cavity, paying attention to not opening it, progressive reduction of the viscera without opening the sac with the hug technique, as shown in the video, placement of a heavyweight polypropylene meshes in the preperitoneal space, scrotal skin reductive plastic. In three of our five cases we obtained restoration of herniated viscera without resection of them. Orchiectomy was performed in all cases.

RESULTS

No general neither wound complications were recorded. Long term follow up ranges from 8 years to 18 months: we did not record recurrence or chronic groin pain and scrotal size is normal in each patient.

CONCLUSION

The technique proposed permits to treat with success giant inguinaoscrotal hernia, avoiding the use of further specific procedure such as the preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum. All our patients were satisfied with the surgeries and their quality of daily life had definitely improved.

Appendiceal abscess in a giant left-sided inguinoscrotal hernia: a rare case of Amyand hernia

The hernia of Amyand is an inguinal hernia containing the appendix in the sac. It is a rare pathology often diagnosed only intra-operatively. We report a case even more rare of a giant left-sided inguinoscrotal Amyand hernia with appendiceal abscess without clinical findings of incarceration/strangulation, occlusion, perforation, or acute scrotum and with the presence in the sac of the caecum and other anatomical structures (last ileal loops, bladder and omentum). The 68-years-old man patient successfully underwent surgical treatment only through the hernia sac (meshless repair according to Postempski technique).

Giant left-sided inguinoscrotal hernia containing the cecum and appendix (giant left-sided Amyand's hernia)

Key Clinical Message

The present case involved a 62-year-old male with a large left-sided inguinoscrotal hernia. A CT scan and a clinical examination led to a diagnosis of a giant left-sided Amyand's hernia. The hernia was repaired using the ULTRAPRO Hernia System (UHS), and the patient exhibited an uneventful postoperative course.

Giant inguinal hernia: Report of a case and reviews of surgical techniques

INTRODUCTION

Inguinal hernia is one of the most surgical common diseases. Giant inguinal hernia is more unusual and significantly challenging in terms of surgical management. It is defined as an inguinal hernia that extends below the midpoint of inner thigh when the patient is in standing position.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 67-year-old male presented with giant right-side inguinal hernia with symptoms of partial colonic obstruction and significant weight loss. Barium enema revealed ascending colon, cecum and ileum contained in hernia sac without significant lesions of large bowel. He underwent hernia repair with omentectomy. Hernioplasty with polypropylene mesh was performed without any complications. He recovered uneventfully.

DISCUSSION

There were several repair techniques suggested by published articles such as resection of the content and increased intraabdominal volume procedure. Many key factors for management of the giant inquinal hernia were discussed. A new classification of the giant inquinal hernia was described.

CONCLUSION

Surgical repair for the giant inquinal hernia is challenging and correlated with significant morbidity and mortality due to increased intra-abdominal pressure.

Emergency repair of giant inguinoscrotal hernia in a septic patient

INTRODUCTION

Giant inguinoscrotal hernias are rare but still exist even in developed countries. Although accompanied by a higher perioperative mortality, an elective surgical approach should be undertaken. In critically ill patients, however, the surgical intervention requires specific demands.

METHODS

We report a case of a 45-year-old man who was referred to the hospital after perforation of the hernia with concomitant peritonitis and sepsis.

RESULTS

After initial stabilization of the patient, a subtotal colectomy and a partial small bowl resection was performed. In a second step after stabilization of organ functions, the hernia sac was resected, and the abdominal cavity was reconstructed. The patient was discharged and is doing well until today but still refuses any plastic surgery.

CONCLUSION

Resection of giant inguinoscrotal hernia is feasible even in patients being administered in an emergency setting. Especially in case of an intra-abdominal infection, intestinal resection is the therapy of choice to allow the reconstruction of the abdominal cavity. A two-step approach should be considered to allow a successful recovery.

A case of duodenal rupture secondary to massive inguino-scrotal hernia

INTRODUCTION

Surgical intervention for giant inguino-scrotal herniae in the acute setting is high risk with significantly increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. While uncommon in modern practise, there are several surgical issues and approaches that need to be considered when this problem presents.

CASE REPORT AND DISCUSSION

We describe the unusual occurrence of acute duodenal rupture as a direct result of a giant inguino-scrotal hernia. The literature on the operative management of giant inguino-scrotal hernia is also reviewed.

CONCLUSION

Giant inguino-scrotal herniae are best managed electively with full preoperative work up and assessment. Surgery in the acute patient is fraught with difficulty leading to increased morbidity.

Simple repair of a giant inguinoscrotal hernia

We present a case of a giant inguinoscrotal hernia that extended almost to the patient's knees. Operative repair was through a standard transverse inguinal incision. No debulking or abdominal enlargement procedure had to be performed. The repair was done with a tension-free, onlay, prosthetic mesh repair.

Abdominal wall infections with in situ mesh

BACKGROUND

Synthetic mesh is used commonly in the repair of abdominal wall hernias. Infection at the surgical site where mesh is present poses a formidable clinical problem.

METHODS

The current surgical literature was reviewed to formulate accepted approaches to the management of hernia repairs with infected mesh.

RESULTS

Prevention of mesh infection is best achieved by judicious use of systemic antibiotics. Topical antibiotics often are used without convincing evidence to support their value. Laparoscopic repairs have lower infection rates than open repairs. Evidence is lacking to support lower rates of infection with mesh of specific composition or with antibacterial agents that coat the mesh. The diagnosis of mesh infection is principally a clinical one. Repairs of infected mesh usually necessitate antibiotics and removal of the foreign material. Clinical judgment is required for attempts at salvaging portions of the mesh. Component separation or biological materials may be used in those circumstances for hernia repair in which large defects are created by removal of the infected synthetic material.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention of mesh infections remains the best strategy. Clinical judgment is essential in determining the degree of mesh removal. Continued clinical studies are necessary to improve the outcomes of established mesh infection in hernia repairs.

Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum for giant inguinal hernias

Reduction of giant hernia contents into the abdominal cavity may cause intraoperative and postoperative problems such as abdominal compartment syndrome. Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum expands the abdominal cavity, increases the patient's tolerability to operation, and can diminish intraoperative and postoperative complications. Preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum is recommended for giant ventral hernias, but rarely for giant inguinal hernias. We present two giant inguinal hernia patients who were prepared for hernia repair with preoperative progressive pneumoperitoneum and then treated successfully by graft hernioplasty. We observed that abdominal expansion correlated with the inflated volume and pressure during the first four days of pneumperitoneum. Although insufflated gas volume can be different among patients, we observed that the duration of insufflation may be the same for similar patients.

Repair of a giant inguinoscrotal hernia

Giant inguinoscrotal herniae are infrequent in developed countries nowadays, nonetheless they may still typically present after years of neglect. The morbidity associated with them can be significant. Surgical management, although challenging even for the experienced surgeon, enables the patient to return to a reasonable level of function and quality of life. We present a case of a giant right inguinoscrotal hernia, which was treated with a multi-stage extensive operation, following adequate pre-operative respiratory preparation. The operation included reduction of the hernial contents in the abdominal cavity following omentectomy, right hemicolectomy and splenectomy, hernioplasty and reconstruction of the abdominal wall with the preperitoneal use of a Composix mesh and finally reductive reconstruction of the scrotum. The technique described represents a successful combination of various techniques described for the management of these patients.

Regarding extremely large inguinal hernias with a contribution of two cases

We report two men of ages 62 and 80 years, respectively, with giant inguinoscrotal hernias. They were operated with a single-stage repair by two approaches, extended preperitoneal of Nyhus and an inguinal method. After hernia content reduction, a policaproamide antimicrobial mesh Ampoxen (MEDICA SA, Sandanski, Bulgaria) with dimensions 20 x 30 cm was inserted by using Stoppa's technique. An additional inguinal reinforcement with other mesh patch was done on the external aponeurosis hernial defect. Synchronous orchiectomy and transscrotal drainage of both patients was performed. The first patient suffering from umbilical hernia was also operated at the same stage. He was prepared by preoperative pneumoperitoneum. The second patient, due to scrotal skin cellulitis with ulceration, was operated without pneumoperitoneum preparation. The latter created easier mobilization and reduction of the hernial content. The sizable mesh dimensions allowed, to some degree, an acceptable level of intra-abdominal pressure after the repair. These hernias demand interdisciplinary teamwork and their treatment has to be adapted to the individual condition of the patient using all therapeutic options.