Introduction and importance: More than 600 cases of De Garengeot\'s hernia, characterized by a femoral hernia containing the vermiform appendix, have been reported. The surgical method of choice has been an appendectomy and a primary hernia repair. Since the emergence of laparoscopy, this is undoubtedly an option. However, the treatment of the appendix remains in most reports as an appendectomy. Successful appendix-sparing treatment of De Garengeot\'s hernia via laparotomy or laparoscopy has been described, mainly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Case presentation: We report a new case of an 80-year-old woman with an incarcerated De Garengeot\'s appendiceal femoral-crural hernia, successfully treated entirely laparoscopically. She had noticed the protrusion of a lump in her right inguinal region for two months. Radiological studies, ultrasonography (US), and computed tomography (CT) were inconclusive. Due to the failure in the preoperative diagnosis, a minimally invasive endoscopic approach was performed. Although the distal appendix appeared incarcerated in the femoral ring, there was no evidence of appendicitis. Thus, a fully laparoscopic appendix-sparing transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) hernioplasty procedure was undertaken. The patient made an uninterrupted recovery. She did well postoperatively with no complications, left the hospital the same day in a stable condition, returned to complete activities, and has enjoyed good health since. Clinical Discussion: Our literature review shows that in selected cases an appendectomy may be safely avoided, eliminating appendectomy-associated morbidity, and could be considered the first-line alternative when expertise is available. Conclusion: A fully laparoscopic appendix-sparing TAPP approach seems safe and feasible to treat this entity.

OBJECTIVE: Less than 450 cases of femoral hernias containing the vermiform appendix have been published since De Garengeot\'s first description. A laparoscopic treatment option opened 15 years ago seems reliable and safe. A literature review of all the patients who have benefited from this new therapeutic alternative is presented.
METHODS: A systematic review using the German Society of Surgery\'s recommendations was performed for De Garengeot\'s hernias totally treated laparoscopically. Keywords searched included \"De Garengeot hernia\" OR \"femoral hernia appendix\" OR \"crural hernia appendix.\"
RESULTS: Only 29 out of 225 De Garengeot hernia\'s manuscripts were identified describing patients entirely treated laparoscopically: 25 patients by a transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP) and 4 patients by a total extraperitoneal (TEP) procedure; 85.1% were females. The mean age was 71 years. Twenty-two patients had pre-operative imaging tests, sonography (2), computed tomography (14), or both (6). Nevertheless, only 56% had a preoperative diagnosis. Twenty-one cases required urgent treatment, while programmed surgery was possible in 7 instances. An appendix-sparing procedure could be done in 16% of the TAPPs. No postoperative complications occurred. The median hospital stay was 2.5 days.
CONCLUSIONS: The best surgical approach for a De Garengeot\'s hernia is not defined, and many critical questions remain unanswered. A better understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of this peculiar hernia will supply guidelines for clinicians who may encounter it hereafter. A fully laparoscopic approach seems perfectly safe and feasible for this entity, and it could be considered the first-line alternative if enough expertise is available.

BACKGROUND: Technical factors leading to hernia recurrence after transabdominal preperitoneal repair include insufficient dissection, inadequate prosthetic overlap and prosthetic size, improper fixation and folding, or crinkling of the prosthesis. However, determining intraoperatively if a case will develop recurrent hernias due to these factors remains unclear.
METHODS: Five surgeons blind-reviewed operation videos of primary laparoscopic hernioplasty in 13 lesions that went on to develop recurrent hernias (i.e., future recurrence), as well as 28 control lesions, to assess twelve items of surgical techniques. Since we changed a surgical policy of covering myopectineal orifice (MPO) in April 2003, we analyzed the data for the earlier and later periods. The data was analyzed with hierarchical clustering to obtain a gross grouping. The differences of the ratings between the future recurrent and control lesions were then analyzed and the association of the techniques with the hernia recurrence rate, the size of the prosthesis, and the hernia type across hernia recurrence were explored.
RESULTS: The lesions were grouped based on the time series, and its boundary was approximated when we changed our surgical policy. This policy change caused ratings to progress from 34% satisfactory, to 79% satisfactory. The recurrence rate decreased to 0.7% (5/678), compared with 6.2% (10/161) before the policy was implemented (p < 0.001). With univariate analysis, the ratings of posterior prosthesis overlap to the MPO in the recurrent lesions were significantly lower than controls in the later period (p = 0.019). Although various types of recurrences were noted in the earlier period, only primary indirect and recurrent indirect hernias were observed in the later period (p = 0.006).
CONCLUSIONS: Fully covering the MPO with mesh is essential for preventing direct recurrence hernias. Additional hernia recurrence prevention can be obtained by giving appropriate attention to prosthesis overlap posterior to the MPO in a large indirect hernia.