Digital Evaluation of the Muscle Functions of the Lower Extremities Among Inguinal Hernia Patients Treated Using Three Different Surgical Techniques: a Prospective Randomized Study

Purpose: An inguinal hernia is a common pathology that can be treated using several different surgical procedures. Although there have been many studies comparing the clinical results of these techniques, there has so far been no digital analysis of the alterations developing secondary to pain with regard to the muscle functions of the lower extremities. This prospective randomized trial was designed to compare this aspect for subjects treated using the laparoscopic techniques and those treated using the conventional method.

Methods: A total of 75 patients, 25 of whom who had undergone hernia repair using the total extraperitoneal technique, 25 of whom who had undergone repair using the transabdominal preperitoneal technique, and 25 who had undergone repair using the Prolene mesh graft technique, were evaluated preoperatively and on the third postoperative day by isometric and isokinetic measurements, the visual analog score (VAS), the necessity of postoperative analgesia, complications, and the time that had elapsed before returning to work, and these results were recorded.

Results: Hernia repair using the conventional method led to an average of 3 times more muscle function loss compared with the laparoscopic techniques, and this difference was shown to be statistically significant. The VAS, postoperative complications, and time elapsed before returning to work were lower for laparoscopic surgeries and also were compatible with the findings described in the previous literature.

Conclusions: Use of a digital environment with numerical parameters and measurements recorded using a dynamometer demonstrated that in the early postoperative period and on the third postoperative day, open surgery causes more functional loss in the lower extremities than laparoscopic methods. Therefore, surgeons should use laparoscopic methods whenever possible to reduce both pain and loss of muscle function.