ObjectiveTo compare the outcomes after self-gripping mesh repair to ordinary polypropylene mesh secured with sutures in women’s Lichtenstein hernioplasty.MethodsThe clinical data of 116 female patients with primary unilateral inguinal hernia who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to January 2017 were prospectively analyzed. A randomized controlled trial was performed based on a random number table. All patients were allocated into self-gripping mesh group (PG group) and ordinary polypropylene mesh group (PL group). The outcomes included operative time, post-operative pain score, analgesic used, hospital stay, urinary retention, wound infection, and seroma were recorded. Patients were followed-up after 1 week, 1 months, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after operation. Follow-up data included chronic pain, foreign body feeling, affect daily activities, and recurrence.ResultsNinety-nine participants completed follow-up. There were 48 patients in the PG group and 51 participants in the PL group. The operative time of the PG group was significantly shorter than that of the PL group (P=0.045), but there was no significant difference in analgesic used, hospital stay, incidence of urinary retention and wound infection, visual analogue scale (VAS) of wound pain at rest at 1 week postoperatively, VAS of wound pain on coughing at 1 week postoperatively between the two groups (P>0.05). At 1 month after operation, the incidence of foreign body feeling in the PG group was significantly higher than that of the PL group (P=0.031), while there was no significant difference in ratio of VAS≥3 and incidence of affect daily activities (P>0.05). At 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after operation, there was no significant difference in incidences of foreign body feeling, chronic pain, and affect daily activities between the two groups (P>0.05). There was one recurrence in the PL group and none in the PG group, without a significant difference (P=0.248).ConclusionThe surgical outcomes of self-gripping mesh are comparable to the ordinary polypropylene mesh with a reduced operation time in women’s Lichtenstein hernioplasty.