Recurrence and Pain after Mesh Repair of Inguinal Hernias

Abstract

Surgery for inguinal hernias has evolved over a prolonged period of time with the main outcome of interest being recurrence and pain. Mesh hernioplasty has been practiced with increasing frequency at Kenyatta National hospital (KNH) since its formal introduction in 2006. There has not been any published data on outcome of hernia treatment at this institution for both non-mesh and mesh techniques. Objective: To evaluate the rates of recurrence and inguinodynia at KNH for patients undergoing mesh repair. Methods: The study was conducted on all inguinal hernia patients operated between 1st October 2006 and 30th October 2011. Demographic and treatment characteristics were abstracted from files. The outcomes of interest (recurrence and inguinodynia) were obtained from follow up data from patients’ files or by telephone survey where these were missing or were incomplete. Results: A total of 181 patients had complete demographic and operative data in their files over the study period. Of these 129 were followed for a mean duration of 37 months. The hernia recurrence rate was 4.7% while the inguinodynia rate was 30.2%. Conclusion: There is a low recurrence rate but a high prevalence of inguinal pain and discomfort (inguinodynia).