Abstract:Objective To explore the impact of laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia mesh repair on pain and quality of life in patients with unilateral inguinal hernia, and to analyze the factors influencing mesh infection.Methods The study included 100 patients with unilateral inguinal hernia treated in the First People's Hospital of Suzhou City from January 2019 to February 2023. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 50 cases in each group. The control group underwent tension-free hernia repair, while the observation group received laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia mesh repair. Clinical indicators, pain at 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery [via the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ], and quality of life before and after surgery [via the Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOL-74) ] were compared between the two groups. Patients were divided into an infection group (7 cases) and a non-infection group (93 cases) based on postoperative mesh infection, and multivariable Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the influencing factors for mesh infection.Results Compared with the control group, the operative duration was longer (P < 0.05), the time to off-bed activities and the length of hospital stay were shorter (P < 0.05), and intraoperative blood loss was less in the observation group (P < 0.05). The comparison of VAS scores at 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery showed that they were different among the time points (F = 731.639, P = 0.000) and between the groups (F = 89.116, P = 0.000), where the VAS score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, indicating better analgesic effects. The change trends of the VAS scores were also different between the groups (F = 28.414, P = 0.000). The differences of the GQOL-74 scores (psychological function, physical life, physical function, and social function) before and after the treatment in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in the operative duration, proportions of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and malnutrition, and the mesh type between the infection group and the non-infection group (P < 0.05). Multivariable Logistic regression analysis indicated that the operative duration ≥ 1 h [O^R = 9.631 (95% CI: 1.255, 73.894) ], presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus [O^R = 12.036 (95% CI: 1.508, 96.097) ], malnutrition [O^R = 14.090 (95% CI: 1.385, 143.343) ], and the use of polytetrafluoroethylene mesh [O^R = 27.999 (95% CI: 2.136, 366.955) ] were factors influencing the postoperative mesh infection (P < 0.05).Conclusion Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia mesh repair, compared to traditional approaches, can effectively reduce postoperative pain, shorten recovery time, and improve quality of life. The main influencing factors for mesh infection include the operative duration exceeding 1 hour, comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, and the use of polytetrafluoroethylene mesh.