CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT06380621Updated Apr 24, 2024

Bilateral vs Unilateral Totally Extraperitoneal Repair Among Patients With Unilateral Inguinal Hernia

An interventional study of Totally Extra Peritoneal repair (TEP) repair in Inguinal Hernia, sponsored by B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. Completed at 1 site in Nepal. Open to participants aged 16 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-04-24.

Sponsored by B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 6 years after the study started (first participant enrolled Mar 2018, registered Mar 2024).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
16 Years to 55 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the feasibility of bilateral laparoscopic exploration for all unilateral cases followed by laparoscopic bilateral TEP repair in all cases with a contralateral occult hernia and to compare complications, recurrence rates, postoperative pain, and operative duration with prospectively performed unilateral repairs in young to middle-aged patients presenting with unilateral hernias in the surgery outpatient department.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • To compare complications, recurrence rates, postoperative pain, and operative duration between both groups.
  • Incidence of occult contralateral hernia Patients attending the OPD for unilateral inguinal hernia were counseled about the trial and fully encouraged to understand the difference between two procedures for unilateral hernia: bilateral exploration and bilateral TEP repair, upon which if a contralateral occult inguinal hernia was observed, documented, and controls were taken from the patients who denied bilateral exploration and underwent unilateral TEP repair. The allotment of patients was done in two groups of 30 patients each.

Researchers will compare Group A( bilateral TEP) with Group B (unilateral TEP) to see if complications, recurrence rates, postoperative pain, and operative duration occur in each group

Read the detailed description

Introduction Today, laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) surgery has emerged as the preferred and standard approach in today's era of technology, owing to the various benefits of laparoscopic surgery. Patients with unilateral inguinal hernia have a lifetime risk of 33% of developing hernia on the contralateral side.1 A study by Bochkarev, V. and Lal, P. et al. showed approximately 22% of bilateral defects in patients with unilateral inguinal hernia at TEP. 2,3 Another study found reasonable (20-25%) chance of discovering an occult contralateral hernia on exploration of the clinically asymptomatic side in unilateral hernias.3 Moreover, Studies have reported an incidence rate of 5%-58% for occult contralateral hernias at the time.4 The patient is at high risk of fibrous adhesions, bowel and bladder injury, and port site hernia if repeat TEP is planned for contralateral inguinal hernia repair. Thus, performing a bilateral repair for a unilateral hernia with/without an occult contralateral defect renders the patient free of the possibility of developing a contralateral primary inguinal hernia later in life, and this can be done in a single sitting or a single hospital stay. The patient holds various benefits (decreased chances of repeat anesthesia-related complications, risk of intra-peritoneal adhesions, bowel perforation, monitoring advantage) except for a minor increase in surgery time.5

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is the standard procedure in our department and is highly demanding, complex, and at times controversial. No data is available till date regarding operative duration, complications, and recurrence rates in the Nepalese population. So, this study is designed to evaluate the constraints of this problem in the context of our developing country, measuring the outcomes between these two groups. The purpose of this study is to have a specific management plan for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, provide rationale for a current management plan, and try to formulate a protocol for our hospital. Whether clinically diagnosed unilateral inguinal hernias allow bilateral exploration, a bilateral repair would benefit the patient in the long term or not, and we anticipate evolving policy changes in the days ahead.

Method:

A total of 60 patients were included in this prospective longitudinal study from March 2018 to March 2019. Patients attending the OPD for unilateral inguinal hernia were counseled about the trial. Patients who gave consent for bilateral inguinal exploration and repair were kept in Group A, and those who did not consent for bilateral exploration and underwent unilateral repair were kept in Group B. The allotment of patients was done in two groups of 30 patients each.

02

Conditions studied

  • Inguinal Hernia

Keywords

  • totally extra peritoneal (TEP)repair
  • Occult contralateral hernia
  • Inguinal hernia
03

In context

Hernia

1,096 studies on the registry are indexed under Hernia; 132 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 60 is below the median of 80 across 739 interventional studies indexed under Hernia.

Browse Hernia studies →

Lead sponsor

B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences is the lead sponsor of 53 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years to 55 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. age group of 16-55 years
  2. clinically diagnosed unilateral inguinal hernia

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. complicated hernia (obstructed and strangulated);
  2. past history of pelvic radiotherapy
  3. patient unfit for general anesthesia; and
  4. patient not giving consent
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
60 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Bilateral TEP group

    Bilateral TEP repair

    Procedure: Totally Extra Peritoneal repair (TEP) repair

  • Active comparator
    Unilateral TEP group

    Unilateral TEP repair

    Procedure: Totally Extra Peritoneal repair (TEP) repair

Interventions

  • ProcedureTotally Extra Peritoneal repair (TEP) repair

    TEP repair

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To compare pain in between patients of bilateral totally extra peritoneal repair and unilateral totally extra peritoneal repair.

    The postoperative pain was recorded by a pictorial Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours during the hospital stay, and during follow up in the outpatient department on the 10th day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively.

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. To measure incidence of intra- and post-operative complication between patients of unilateral and bilateral TEP repair

    intraoperative complications: Visceral injury, Subcutaneous emphysema Postoperative: seroma, wound infection, and recurrence assessed during the hospital stay and during follow-up in the outpatient department on the 10th day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively.

    Time frame: 6 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Bikash Kumar Sah
    Dharān Bāzār, Koshi 56700, Nepal
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Kara H, Arikan AE, Dulgeroglu O, Moldur DE, Uras C. Management of Occult Contralateral Inguinal Hernia: Diagnosis and Treatment With Laparoscopic Totally Extra Peritoneal Repair. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2020 Jun;30(3):245-248. doi: 10.1097/SLE.0000000000000765. PubMed 32032331 ↗
  • Bochkarev V, Ringley C, Vitamvas M, Oleynikov D. Bilateral laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in patients with occult contralateral inguinal defects. Surg Endosc. 2007 May;21(5):734-6. doi: 10.1007/s00464-007-9196-x. Epub 2007 Feb 20. PubMed 17310298 ↗
  • Pawanindra Lal, Philips P, Chander J, Ramteke VK. Is unilateral laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair a job half done? The case for bilateral repair. Surg Endosc. 2010 Jul;24(7):1737-45. doi: 10.1007/s00464-009-0841-4. Epub 2010 Feb 5. PubMed 20135181 ↗
  • Tiwary SK, Kumar S, More R, Shankar V, Kumar S, Dwivedi AND. A study of contralateral occult inguinal hernia in adult male patients undergoing total extraperitoneal herniorraphy. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Jun 30;9(6):2975-2979. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_207_20. eCollection 2020 Jun. PubMed 32984158 ↗
  • Kockerling F, Schug-Pass C, Adolf D, Keller T, Kuthe A. Bilateral and Unilateral Total Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair (TEP) have Equivalent Early Outcomes: Analysis of 9395 Cases. World J Surg. 2015 Aug;39(8):1887-94. doi: 10.1007/s00268-015-3055-z. PubMed 25832474 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and informed consent form · Mar 15, 2018

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 24, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06380621
Lead sponsor
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Responsible party
Dr. Bikash kumar sah (Lecture (General Surgery), B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 24, 2024
Start date
Mar 15, 2018
Primary completion
Feb 15, 2019
Completion
Mar 15, 2019
Last update
Apr 24, 2024

Study contacts

Rakesh kumar Gupta, Ms
principal investigator · B. P. Koirala institute of health science

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion