Laparoscopic Obturator Hernia Repair with Self-Gripping Mesh: Case Series in a Single Institution

An obturator hernia is a relatively rare type of abdominal hernia with a high mortality rate, with surgery being the only treatment option. Various approaches to repairing an obturator had been proposed, and reports of laparoscopic approaches have increased. Furthermore, whether or not to use a mesh for repair, the material and shape of the mesh, and the size of the area to be repaired are still controversial. ProGrip™ laparoscopic self-fixating mesh (PG mesh) has the self-adhesive property and may reduce the likelihood of chronic pain development. On the other hand, difficulty handling in the abdominal cavity has been pointed out as an issue. We considered it to be suitable for the laparoscopic obturator hernia repair and applied it for surgery. We report the findings obtained to date. We have been using the mesh in an standardized way for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair from April 2020 and applied its use for obturator hernia repair. Applicable cases had been determined based on a predetermined strategy. Between April 2020 and October 2022, we had encountered 12 cases of obturator hernia. Of these cases, eight had been repaired using the mesh. Postoperatively, one patient had had a small subcutaneous hematoma with no postoperative complications, including chronic pain and hemorrhage. The postoperative recovery time had been not prolonged, and there had been no recurrence of symptoms during the observation period. Although the results were short-term, our laparoscopic obturator hernia repair has been performed in safety.