[Lotheissen-McVay repair of hernia. Late follow-up analysis after 1202 operations for inguinal and femoral hernias]

Application of Subcutaneous Talc in Hernia Repair and Wide Subcutaneous Dissection Dramatically Reduces Seroma formation and Postoperative Wound Complications

Wound complications after large ventral hernia repairs when combined with wide subcutaneous dissection (OVHR/WSD) are common (33 to 66%). We evaluate a novel technique of applying talc to wound subcutaneous tissues to decrease wound complications. We accessed our prospectively collected surgical outcomes database for OVHR/WSD procedures performed. Patients were divided into those that did and did not receive subcutaneous talc (TALC vs NOTALC). Demographics intraoperative and outcomes data were collected and analyzed. The study included 180 patients (n = 74 TALC, n = 106 NOTALC). Demographics were all similar, but hernias were larger in the TALC group. TALC patients had their drains removed earlier (14.6 vs 25.6 days; P < 0.001) with dramatic reduction in postoperative seromas requiring intervention (20.8 to 2.7%; P < 0.001) and cellulitis (39.0 to 20.6%; P = 0.007). Short-term follow-up demonstrates significantly higher recurrence rates in the NOTALC group with each recurrence related to infection. The use of talc in the subcutaneous space of OVHR/WSD results in significantly earlier removal of subcutaneous drains, fewer wound complications, and a decrease in early hernia recurrence. Use of talc in the subcutaneous space at the time of wound closure is an excellent technique to decrease wound complications in large subcutaneous dissections.

Is Postoperative Chronic Pain Syndrome Higher with Mesh Repair of Inguinal Hernia?

Chronic postoperative pain has been associated with mesh repair in meta-analysis of clinical trials. We compared the incidence of early complications, recurrence, and chronic pain syndrome in anatomic and mesh repairs in 200 patients. We defined chronic pain syndrome as pain in the inguinal area more than 3 months after inguinal hernia repair, patient referral to pain management, or necessity of a secondary procedure for pain control. The mean follow-up time was 4 years and 2 months for anatomic repair and 3 years and 7 months for mesh repair. The clinical outcomes did not reveal a significant disparity between the 100 consecutive patients who had mesh repair versus the 100 patients who had anatomic repair with regard to the incidence of superficial wound infection (0 vs 2%, P = 0.497), testicular swelling (12 vs 7%, P = 0.335), hematoma (1 vs 0%, P = 0.99), recurrence (3 vs 2%, P = 0.99), or chronic postoperative pain (4 vs 1%, P = 0.369). The anatomic procedure without mesh should continue to be offered to patients who have an initial inguinal hernia repair.

European Hernia Society guidelines on the treatment of inguinal hernia in adult patients

The European Hernia Society (EHS) is proud to present the EHS Guidelines for the Treatment of Inguinal Hernia in Adult Patients. The Guidelines contain recommendations for the treatment of inguinal hernia from diagnosis till aftercare. They have been developed by a Working Group consisting of expert surgeons with representatives of 14 country members of the EHS. They are evidence-based and, when necessary, a consensus was reached among all members. The Guidelines have been reviewed by a Steering Committee. Before finalisation, feedback from different national hernia societies was obtained. The Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument was used by the Cochrane Association to validate the Guidelines. The Guidelines can be used to adjust local protocols, for training purposes and quality control. They will be revised in 2012 in order to keep them updated. In between revisions, it is the intention of the Working Group to provide every year, during the EHS annual congress, a short update of new high-level evidence (randomised controlled trials [RCTs] and meta-analyses). Developing guidelines leads to questions that remain to be answered by specific research. Therefore, we provide recommendations for further research that can be performed to raise the level of evidence concerning certain aspects of inguinal hernia treatment. In addition, a short summary, specifically for the general practitioner, is given. In order to increase the practical use of the Guidelines by consultants and residents, more details on the most important surgical techniques, local infiltration anaesthesia and a patient information sheet is provided. The most important challenge now will be the implementation of the Guidelines in daily surgical practice. This remains an important task for the EHS. The establishment of an EHS school for teaching inguinal hernia repair surgical techniques, including tips and tricks from experts to overcome the learning curve (especially in endoscopic repair), will be the next step. Working together on this project was a great learning experience, and it was worthwhile and fun. Cultural differences between members were easily overcome by educating each other, respecting different views and always coming back to the principles of evidence-based medicine. The members of the Working Group would like to thank the EHS board for their support and especially Ethicon for sponsoring the many meetings that were needed to finalise such an ambitious project.

[Late outcome of Lotheissen-McVay herniotomy 20 years postoperative]

The subject of this study consisted of 266 hernia repairs according to Lotheissen-McVay, carried out during the years 1970-1975. The survey evaluated the outcome of operations on direct and indirect inguinal hernias as well as on femoral hernias, but did not include any review of recurrent hernias. The sole aim of the survey was to evaluate the long-term results after 20 years, since the recurrence rate increases with postoperative duration. Through previous studies, partly involving the same patients, partial results on the recurrence incidence were available. The number of patients that were followed up in our study (158 = 59.4%) was limited primarily owing to the long period of time that had elapsed. This applied especially for hernia repair in older patients, since the higher mortality rate in these cases made it impossible to assess the outcome of the operation. A general total recurrence rate of 13.29% was found, of which 13.33% was for indirect inguinal hernias, 14.75% for direct inguinal hernias and 9.09% for femoral hernias. The group of patients that we reviewed was a typical cross-section of those patients who had received surgical treatment for an inguinal hernia. As far as we are aware, this study carried out more than 20 years after surgery, is the longest study of the recurrence incidence after hernia repair.

[Laparoscopic hernia repair]

From January 1992 to February 1993 a total of 361 inguinal hernia repairs were performed in our unit. We routinely performed the Shouldice repair. In 60 patients, 46 men and 14 women, 19-82 year old, we closed the inguinal defect with a patch, performing a "tension-free" repair by a laparoscopic technique. In 26 patients we found a left-sided hernia, in 21 patients a right-sided, and in 13 bilateral hernias. We found 29 direct hernias, 26 indirect hernias and 18 combined hernias. There were no intraoperative complications. Postoperatively, 1 patient suffered from epididymitis, and 5 patients reported disturbed sensibility of the skin at the medial proximal thigh for some weeks. One patient had an inguinal seroma postoperatively. In this patient we had not removed the hernia sac. There was no recurrence. Long time results are not available until now.

[Inguinal hernia repair modified by Kirschner. A critical analysis after 11 years of clinical experience]

In a retrospective study the early and late complications and the recurrence rate of inguinal hernia 10 years after elective repair by a modification of Kirschner's procedure are presented and compared with those following other established surgical techniques. Questionnaires were sent to 1400 patients, and 1029 patients (73.5) also underwent clinical examination. With all techniques, the most frequent postoperative complications were haematomas and seromas (10.1%). Postoperative mortality was 0.2%. Late complications were reported by 36.4% of the patients followed up by questionnaire. The most frequently reported symptom (by 23.8%) was transitory hypaesthesia in the scar area. In 2.7% of the male patients examined testicular atrophy was found. All patients who reported a recurrence on their questionnaire underwent follow-up examination in the clinic. Thus, the cumulative recurrence rate was 9.6%. Over two-thirds of all recurrences were lateral recurrences (P < 0.01). It was not possible to determine potential risk factors for a recurrence of inguinal hernia. The recurrence rate increased with time before follow up: among the patients examined after 5 years the recurrence rate was 5.7%, while it was 12.1% for patients examined after a period of 10 years. Kirschner's modification involves a risk of lateral recurrence that should not be underestimated, and its use should be reconsidered. The Shouldice repair appears to be the method of choice. However, further results confirming this choice should be awaited.