had a slightly lower rate of recurrence than STDS however this was not significant (39.0% vs. 47.4%, p[0.518). The overall complication rate was 1.7%. There were 3 complications, an infection in the aspiration alone group, a postoperative bleed in the STDS group, and a repeat procedure for severe pain in the STDS group. These were not statistically significant.CONCLUSIONS: Ethanol was the most effect sclerotic agent in our patient cohort. Though similarly effective, STDS is interestingly roughly twice as expensive as ethanol at our institution. Hydrocele recurrence was not significantly improved with STDS however, though it did delay timing to recurrence onset. We conclude that ethanol sclerosis is both more effective, and cost effective, than STDS sclerosis. Future studies with increased patient numbers may help confirm these conclusions.

The surgeon administered laparoscopic TAP block is a safe pain management tool. Studies compared laparoscopic guided TAP block with ultrasound-guided TAP block and reported no discernible differences in the efficacy of pain management following general surgical procedures. Direct visualization of the administration site minimizes complications such as iatrogenic visceral injury by the needle or administration of the local anesthetic in the wrong plane. In addition, the surgeon-administered block also potentially reduces the additional time taken to set up an ultrasound guided TAP block which requires an anesthesiologist and an ultrasound machine.