Abstract

Inguinal hernioplasty is a common surgical procedure that requires appropriate anaesthesia for optimal patient outcomes. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of spinal anaesthesia versus epidural anaesthesia in patients undergoing inguinal hernioplasty. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted on a sample of patients undergoing elective inguinal hernioplasty. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either spinal anaesthesia or epidural anaesthesia. The primary outcomes assessed included surgical success, intraoperative and postoperative pain levels, duration of surgery, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, and patient satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included postoperative analgesic requirements and length of hospital stay Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study, with 75 patients in each group. The results revealed no significant difference in surgical success rates between the two anaesthesia techniques (p > 0.05). However, patients who received spinal anaesthesia reported significantly lower intraoperative pain levels compared to those who received epidural anaesthesia (p < 0.001). Postoperative pain levels, analgesic requirements, and patient satisfaction were comparable between the two groups. The duration of surgery, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay did not differ significantly between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Both spinal anaesthesia and epidural anaesthesia are effective and safe options for inguinal hernioplasty. However, spinal anaesthesia may offer advantages in terms of lower intraoperative pain levels. The choice of anaesthesia technique should be based on patient characteristics, surgical requirements, and the preferences of the surgical team. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm these findings and provide more robust evidence for anaesthesia selection in inguinal hernioplasty.

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