Muscle strength and walking ability after laparoscopic hernioplasty versus conventional repair.
OBJECTIVE
We examined muscle strength and walking ability after hernia repair to compare the effects of laparoscopic hernioplasty and conventional repair.


METHODS
Twenty-seven patients with primary inguinal hernias were randomly divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure: 15 patients were treated with laparoscopic hernioplasty and 12 with conventional repair. Two types of muscle testing around the inguinal region, one by manual examination and one using a musculator, were done preoperatively and 1 week postoperatively. Walking exercise tests were performed at the same time as muscle testing.


RESULTS
Manual examination showed that the postoperative muscle strength of the iliopsoas muscle was decreased in six patients from the conventional repair group, but not in any of those from the laparoscopic hernioplasty group. The musculator showed decreased strength of the iliopsoas muscle after conventional repair, but not after laparoscopic hernioplasty. The walking exercise test showed that conventional hernia repair influenced walking.


CONCLUSIONS
A decline in muscle strength of the iliopsoas muscle and walking ability was evident after conventional repair, but not after laparoscopic hernioplasty. Thus, laparoscopic hernioplasty is superior to conventional repair from the perspective of muscle testing and walking ability.
Murata
Nobuo
N
Department of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama, Japan.
Ishida
Hideyuki
H
Makita
Youichiro
Y
Odaka
Akio
A
Shimomura
Kazuyuki
K
Takahashi
Kuniyasu
K
Hashimoto
Daijo
D
Idezuki
Yasuo
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016138:Walking