Laparoscopy is Increasingly Used for Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Repair

Ten-year retrospective analysis of 125,249 pediatric inguinal hernia repairs across 32 children's hospitals shows laparoscopic approach increased five-fold from 3% to 15% of cases. Laparoscopic repairs were more common in females, younger patients, and bilateral hernias, but carried 27% higher costs compared to traditional open repair.