Usefulness of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair using the Endoscope Manipulator Robot (EMARO)

This study aimed to investigate the surgical outcomes of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair using an Endoscope Manipulator Robot (EMARO).

This retrospective study included 51 patients who underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs. The transabdominal preperitoneal approach (TAPP) has been used to treat inguinal hernias. The patients were divided into two groups: one group underwent laparoscopic surgery using EMARO (E-TAPP) and the other group underwent conventional laparoscopic surgery (L-TAPP). The EMARO is a pneumatically driven endoscope-holder robot. The surgical outcomes of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair were compared between the two groups.

Fifteen patients underwent E-TAPP, and 36 underwent L-TAPP. The L-TAPP operation requires two personnel, whereas E-TAPP can be performed by one surgeon. The median operation times of the E-TAPP and L-TAPP groups were 81 min (range, 77–87) and 70 min (range, 60–94), respectively, and the median blood loss was 5 mL (range, 1–5) and 2 mL (range, 1–5). However, these differences were not statistically significant. The setup time for EMARO was approximately 8 min (range, 5–12). No patient experienced recurrence, and the postoperative complication rates were similar between the two groups. The number of patients who used postoperative analgesics in the E-TAPP and L-TAPP groups was four (n = 15) and 22 (n = 36), respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.042).

Laparoscopic surgery using EMARO can reduce labor costs and postoperative pain. The surgical outcomes of the E-TAPP group were not inferior to those of the L-TAPP group, and E-TAPP could also be safely performed.