Reoperation for inguinal hernia recurrence in Ontario: a population-based study

Long-term outcomes after elective inguinal hernia mesh-repair in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of long-term outcomes following elective inguinal hernia mesh-repair in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains limited. Pathophysiological differences between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) may influence mesh-related complications and recurrence risk. The primary objective was to assess the reoperation risk for mesh-related complications, and secondarily, recurrence after inguinal hernia mesh-repair in patients with CD and UC. The impact of fistulising disease (intra-abdominal/perianal) and surgical technique (open/laparoscopic) on both outcomes was also analysed based on the available data.

METHODS

This nationwide cohort study (2007-2016) followed IBD patients undergoing elective inguinal hernia mesh-repair to assess risks of reoperation for mesh-related complications or recurrence. Risks were estimated using cumulative incidence and Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS

Among 1,072 patients with IBD (CD = 264, UC = 698, IBD-unclassified = 110), the five-year reoperation risk was 0.5% for mesh-related complications and 5.7% for recurrence. Fistulising disease was present in 6.9% (n = 74) of all patients with IBD: perianal in 95% (n = 70) and intra-abdominal in 5% (n = 4). There were too few mesh-related complications (n = 5) to support statistical analysis of this outcome. Recurrence risk was not significantly affected by IBD subtype: CD (reference), UC (HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 0.77-3.64), IBD-U (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.24-3.44), or surgical technique: transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) (reference), and Lichtenstein (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.43-1.47).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that inguinal hernia mesh-repair is also safe among IBD patients regardless of subtype, surgical technique, or perianal fistulation. Similarly, recurrence risk was unaffected by these factors. Limited data prevented conclusions on intra-abdominal fistulising disease as a potential risk-factor for poor surgical outcomes.

Robotic minimally invasive inguinal hernia repair with the Dexter robotic system™: A prospective multicenter clinical investigation

BACKGROUND

Robot-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (rTAPP) has been established with various robotic platforms. The Dexter robotic system is an open platform consisting of a sterile surgeon's console, two robotic instrument arms, and one robotic endoscope arm. This study aimed to confirm the perioperative and early postoperative safety and clinical performance of the Dexter system in patients undergoing primary transperitoneal inguinal hernia repair.

METHODS

The primary objectives of this multicenter study conducted at three centers in France, Germany, and Switzerland were to document the successful completion of rTAPP procedures and the occurrence of serious adverse events (Clavien-Dindo grades III-V), device-related events up to 30 days post-surgery. The procedures were performed by three surgeons with varying levels of experience in robotic systems.

RESULTS

50 patients with a median age of 62.5 years (IQR 51.0-72.0) and BMI of 25.1 kg/cm2 (IQR 23.5-28.7), respectively, underwent inguinal hernia repair (33 unilateral, 17 bilateral). All surgeries were successfully completed using three standard laparoscopy trocars. There were no conversions to open surgery, intraoperative complications or device deficiencies. The median skin-to-skin operative time was 50 min (IQR 45-60) for unilateral hernias and 96 min (IQR 84-105) for bilateral hernias. The median console time was 30 min (IQR 26-41) for unilateral and 66 min (IQR 60-77) for bilateral hernias. Twenty-six patients were discharged on the day of surgery, and 22 on postoperative day 1.

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed the use of the Dexter system in rTAPP was feasible and safe in multicenter cohorts, with operative times consistent with the literature on other robotic platforms. Our data demonstrated the accessibility of this new robotic approach, even when adopted by surgeons new to robotics. The Dexter system emerged as a valuable device in the hernia repair toolkit for both experienced robotic surgeons and those new to the field.

Quality of life following Shouldice Repair: a prospective cohort study among inguinal hernia patients

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life from the preoperative time to six months after surgery of patients who underwent a Shouldice Repair for primary inguinal hernia.

METHODS

After ethical approval, consent was obtained, and data collected from surveys and chart review. The study population was composed of male and female patients aged 16-90 years of age, who had a Shouldice Repair of a primary unilateral inguinal hernia. The EQ-5D-3L, a questionnaire applied to hernia surgery in Canada, was used to determine quality of life at the preoperative and 1 week, 1- and 6-month postoperative time. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, as well as inferential analysis.

RESULTS

From January 2023 to February 2024, 532 participants met the criteria, completed and returned the preoperative survey, and underwent primary inguinal hernia repair. The participants were mostly male (94%) with an average age of 62.18 years and BMI of 24.93 kg/m2. The EQ-5D-3L health index scores and EQ-VAS health status at preoperative were 0.83 ± 0.13 and 79.5 ± 12.59. At the 1-month postoperative time, health index scores and health status had significantly increased from preoperative (score:0.91 ± 0.12, p = .001; status 83.56 ± 12.93, p = .001), and continued to significantly increase from baseline at the 6-month postoperative time (score:0.95 ± 0.10, p = .001; status:85.25 ± 12.17, p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Quality of life, as measured by the ED-5D-3L health index score, significantly improved for patients that underwent a Shouldice Repair for an inguinal hernia.

Prospective comparison of two surgical approaches for incarcerated and strangulated inguinal hernia: preperitoneal hernioplasty through the lower abdominal median incision and laparoscope (TAPP)

The optimal surgical approach of incarcerated and strangulated inguinal hernia is controversial. Retrospective studies showed that surgical approaches through lower abdominal median incision or laparoscopic are superior to the oblique inguinal incision, respectively. Whether transabdominal laparoscopic approach is superior to the lower abdominal median incision approach needs prospective research.Prospective comparative study of patients with incarcerated and strangulated groin hernia admitted to Jinshan hospital for emergency surgery from January 2018 to June 2022. They were divided into two groups according to different surgical approach. The open preperitoneal repair group (OPR) was operated through the lower abdominal median incision. Laparoscopic preperitoneal repair group (TAPP) was completed under transabdominal laparoscope. The perioperative complications and long-term results of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Eighty-two patients met the inclusion criteria, 40 in OPR group and 42 in TAPP group. Baseline data of the two groups were comparable. Thirteen cases (15.9%) of the two groups underwent intestinal resection and anastomosis. Seventy cases (90.2%) underwent the 1st stage mesh repair, including 5 cases of preperitoneal hernioplasty after intestinal resection. The average operation time of TAPP group was 13 min longer (60.7 ± 13.7 min vs 47.8 ± 19.8 min P < 0.001), and the visual analogue scale pain score at 24 h after operation was lower (3.5 ± 1.2 vs 4.4 ± 1.7 P = 0.019) than that of OPR group. There was 1 case of bladder injury (2.5%) in OPR group and 1 case of inferior abdominal artery injury (2.4%) in TAPP group. There was no difference in the rate of the 1st stage hernioplasty between the two groups. In OPR group, 2 cases (5%) extended the incision for more than 2 cm, while in TAPP group, 1 case (2.4%) converted to laparotomy. The time of hospital stay (3.2 ± 1.8 d vs 4.3 ± 2.7 d, P = 0.036) and return to normal activities (7.9 ± 2.7 d vs 11.0 ± 4.4 d, P < 0.001) were shorter in TAPP group. The rate of total postoperative complications including chronic pain, surgical-site infection, seroma, hernia recurrence and so on was 11.9% in TAPP group, which was not significantly different from 25% in OPR group (P = 0.212). There were no cases of mesh related infection and death within 30 days in both groups.TAPP is safe and feasible for the operation of acute incarcerated inguinal hernia. TAPP had better comfort and faster recovery over open preperitoneal repair for the appropriate patients with incarcerated/strangulated inguinal hernia, which can reduce acute pain, shorten hospital stay and return to normal activities earlier.

Long-Term Outcomes Following Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana

Objective

To assess long-term outcomes following inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Background

Task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons can increase access to essential surgery. Long-term safety and outcomes of task sharing are not well-described for hernia repair.

Methods

This prospective cohort study was conducted in Ho, Ghana. After completing a training course, 3 medical doctors and 2 surgeons performed inguinal hernia repairs with mesh on men with primary, reducible hernias. The primary outcome of this study was hernia recurrence at 5 years. The noninferiority limit was 5 percentage points. Secondary endpoints included pain and self-assessed health status at 5 years.

Results

A total of 242 operations in 241 participants were included, including 119 hernia repairs performed by the medical doctors and 123 performed by the surgeons. One hundred and sixty-nine participants (70.1%) were seen in follow-up at 5 years, 29 participants (12.0%) had died and 43 (17.8%) were lost to follow-up. The overall 5-year recurrence rate was 4.7% (n = 8). The absolute difference in recurrence rate between the medical doctor group (2 [2.3%]) and the surgeon group (6 [7.3%]) was -5.0 (1-tailed 95% confidence interval, -10.5; P = 0.06), demonstrating noninferiority of the medical doctors. Participants experienced improvements in groin pain and self-assessed health status that persisted at 5 years.

Conclusions

Long-term outcomes of elective mesh inguinal hernia repair in men performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana were excellent. Task sharing is a critical tool to address the substantial morbidity of unmet hernia surgery needs in Ghana.

Risk factors for reoperation following inguinal hernia repair: results from a cohort of patients from an integrated healthcare system

PURPOSE

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed globally. Identification of risk factors that contribute to hernia recurrence following an index inguinal hernia repair, especially those that are modifiable, is of paramount importance. Therefore, we sought to investigate risk factors for reoperation following index inguinal hernia repair.

METHODS

125,133 patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent their first inguinal hernia repair with mesh within a large US integrated healthcare system were identified for a cohort study (2010-2020). Laparoscopic, robotic, and open procedures were included. The system's integrated electronic health record was used to obtain data on demographics, patient characteristics, surgical characteristics, and reoperations. The association of these characteristics with ipsilateral reoperation during follow-up was modeled using Cox proportional-hazards regression. Risk factors were selected into the final model by stepwise regression with Akaike Information Criteria, which quantifies the amount of information lost if a factor is left out of the model. Factors associated with reoperation with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence of reoperation at 5-year follow-up was 2.4% (95% CI 2.3-2.5). Increasing age, female gender, increasing body mass index, White race, chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes, drug abuse, peripheral vascular disease, and bilateral procedures all associated with a higher risk for reoperation during follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies several risk factors associated with reoperation following inguinal hernia repair. These risk factors may serve as targets for optimization protocols prior to elective inguinal hernia repair, with the goal of reducing reoperation risk.

Increasing volume but declining resident autonomy in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair: an inverse relationship

INTRODUCTION

With improved technology and technique, laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) has become a valid option for repairing both initial and recurrent inguinal hernia. Surgical residents must learn both techniques to prepare for future practice. We examined resident operative autonomy between LIHR and open inguinal hernia repair (OIHR) across the Veterans Affairs (VA) system.

METHODS

Utilizing the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we examined inguinal hernia repairs based on the principal procedure code at all teaching VA hospitals from July 2004 to September 2019. All VA cases are coded for level of supervision at the time of surgery: attending primary surgeon (AP); attending scrubbed but resident is a primary surgeon (AR), and resident primary with attending supervising but not scrubbed (RP). Primary outcomes were the proportion of LIHR versus OIHR and resident autonomy over time.

RESULTS

A total of 127,497 hernia repair cases were examined (106,892 OIHR and 20,605 LIHR). There was a higher proportion of RP (8.7% vs 2.2%) and lower proportion of AP (23.9% vs 28.4%) within OIHR compared to LIHR (p < 0.001). The overall proportion of LIHR repairs increased from 9 to 28% (p < 0.001). RP cases decreased for LIHR from 9 to 1% and for OIHR from 17 to 4%, while AP cases increased for LIHR from 16 to 42% and for OIHR from 18 to 30% (all p < 0.001). For RP cases, mortality (0 vs 0.2%, p > 0.99) and complication rates (1.1% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.35) were no different.

CONCLUSIONS

LIHR at VA hospitals has tripled over the past 15 years, now compromising nearly one-third of all inguinal hernia repairs; the majority are initial hernias. Despite this increase, resident autonomy in LIHR cases declined alarmingly. The results demonstrate an urgent need to integrate enhanced minimally invasive training into a general surgery curriculum to prepare residents for future independent practice.

Inguinal Hernia Mesh Repair: The Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Open Versus Laparoscopic Repair

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. An inguinal hernia occurs due to a defect in the abdominal wall, which allows the abdominal contents to pass through it. Although the placement of mesh over the defect is the gold standard to close the defect, there are various approaches to achieving it, out of which two of the most widely accepted techniques are laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) and open inguinal hernia repair (OIHR). However, the approach of choice widely fluctuates with regards to various factors such as patient history, type of hernias, and surgeons' preference. It is imperative to understand the variations in outcomes of different approaches and how best they fit an individual patient in deciding the technique to be undertaken. This article has reviewed many studies and compared the two techniques in terms of chronic pain, the time required to return to activity, rate of recurrence, and cost-effectiveness.

Analysis of risk factors for surgical site infection and postoperative recurrence following inguinal and femoral hernia surgery in adults

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the causes of complications following surgery for inguinal and femoral hernia, using surgical site infection (SSI) and recurrence rate as indicators of outcomes to consider appropriate treatments.

METHODS

We retrospectively assessed the medical histories of 1,098 patients with adult inguinal and femoral hernias who underwent herniorrhaphy between July 2010 and March 2019. Using SSI and recurrence rate as indicators of outcomes, we statistically assessed the influence of preoperative and operative conditions on surgical outcomes.

RESULTS

The occurrence of postoperative SSI was significantly more frequent in patients who experienced a long surgical duration, excessive blood loss, and incarceration; underwent emergency surgery and bowel resection; and in whom no mesh sheet insertion was performed. There was no correlation between mesh use and SSI in cases that did not require emergency incarceration repair. For cases involving hernia incarceration, the use of a mesh sheet was avoided to prevent potential infection, which could explain the high incidence of SSI in cases where mesh was not used. The hernia may have recurred due to technical issues during the procedure, as well as failure to ligate the hernia sac.

CONCLUSIONS

Selecting the appropriate surgical method for hernia repair may reduce the incidence of SSI. If manual reduction of inguinal hernias is not possible, an appropriate surgical procedure should be determined based on laparoscopic findings in facilities where laparoscopic hernia surgeries are frequently performed. Moreover, in cases without infection and bowel resection, mesh use may be beneficial. Recurrence can be prevented by ligating the hernia sac during surgery and solving relevant technical problems.

Lower reoperation rates after open and laparoscopic groin hernia repair when performed by high-volume surgeons: a nationwide register-based study

PURPOSE

Previous studies have shown a correlation between surgeons with high annual volume and better outcomes after various surgical procedures. However, the preexisting literature regarding groin hernia repair and annual surgeon volume is limited. The aim was to investigate how annual surgeon volume affected the reoperation rates for recurrence after primary groin hernia repair.

METHODS

This nationwide cohort study was based on data from the Danish Hernia Database and the Danish Patient Safety Authority's Online Register. Patients ≥ 18 years undergoing laparoscopic or Lichtenstein primary groin hernia repair between November 2011 and January 2020 were included. Annual surgeon volume was divided into five categories: ≤ 10, 11-25, 26-50, 51-100, and > 100 cases/year.

RESULTS

We included 25,262 groin hernia repairs performed in 23,088 patients. The risk of reoperation for recurrence after Lichtenstein repair was significantly higher for the volume categories of ≤ 10 (HR 4.02), 11-25 (HR 3.64), 26-50 (HR 3.93), or 51-100 (HR 4.30), compared with the > 100 category. The risk of reoperation for recurrence after laparoscopic repair was significantly increased for the volume categories of ≤ 10 (HR 1.89), 11-25 (HR 2.08), 26-50 (HR 1.80), and 51-100 (HR 1.58) compared with the > 100 category.

CONCLUSION

The risk of reoperation for recurrence was significantly higher after Lichtenstein and laparoscopic repairs performed by surgeons with < 100 cases/year compared with > 100 cases/year. This indicates that higher surgeon volume minimizes the risk of reoperation for recurrence after groin hernia repair.

Lower recurrence rate after groin and primary ventral hernia repair performed by high-volume surgeons: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Hernia repair is a common procedure; however, an overview is lacking regarding the impact of annual surgeon volume and total surgical experience on the outcome of hernia repair. We aimed to explore the impact of annual surgeon volume and total surgical experience on outcomes of groin and primary ventral hernia repair.

METHODS

This systematic review followed the Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020176140). PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched. We investigated recurrence rates after groin and primary ventral hernia repair reported according to annual surgeon volume or total surgical experience with at least 6 months follow-up. Surgeons were pooled in three overlapping categories: high-volume (> 50 cases/year), medium-volume (11-50 cases/year) and low-volume (≤ 25 cases/year).

RESULTS

Ten records for groin hernia and one for primary ventral hernia were included. The median (range) recurrence rates after laparoscopic groin hernia repair for high, medium, and low-volume surgeons were 2.6% (2.3-3.0), 2.4% (0.7-4.6), and 4.2% (1.0-6.8), respectively. The median (range) recurrence rate after open groin hernia repair for high, medium, and low-volume surgeons were 2.1% (2.0-2.2), 1.7% (1.6-2.3), and 2.4% (2.2-5.0). The groin hernia recurrence rate seemed to increase when annual surgeon volume decreased below 25 cases/year. For primary ventral hernia, increased annual surgeon volume was associated with decreased reoperation rate.

CONCLUSION

High-volume surgeons seemed to have lower rates of hernia recurrence after groin as well as primary ventral hernia repair and our data supports the need for centralization of groin hernia repair on individual surgeons.

Outcomes After Inguinal Hernia Repair With Mesh Performed by Medical Doctors and Surgeons in Ghana

Importance

Inguinal hernia is the most common general surgical condition in the world. Although task sharing of surgical care with nonsurgeons represents one method to increase access to essential surgery, the safety and outcomes of this strategy are not well described for hernia repair.

Objective

To compare outcomes after inguinal hernia repair with mesh performed by medical doctors and surgeons in Ghana.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective cohort study was conducted from February 15, 2017, to September 17, 2018, at the Volta Regional Hospital in Ho, Ghana. Following successful completion of a training course, 3 medical doctors and 2 surgeons performed inguinal hernia repair with mesh according to the Lichtenstein technique on 242 men with primary, reducible inguinal hernia.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was hernia recurrence at 1 year. The noninferiority limit was set at 5 percentage points. Secondary end points included postoperative complications at 2 weeks and patient satisfaction, pain, and self-assessed health status at 1 year.

Results

Two-hundred forty-two patients were included; 119 men underwent operations performed by medical doctors and 123 men underwent operations performed by surgeons. Preoperative patient characteristics were similar in both groups. Two-hundred thirty-seven patients (97.9%) were seen at follow-up at 2 weeks, and 223 patients (92.1%) were seen at follow-up at 1 year. The absolute difference in recurrence rate between the medical doctor group (1 [0.9%]) and the surgeon group (3 [2.8%]) was -1.9 (1-tailed 95% CI, -4.8; P < .001), demonstrating noninferiority of the medical doctors. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative complications (34 [29.1%] vs 29 [24.2%]), patient satisfaction (112 [98.2%] vs 108 [99.1%]), severe chronic pain (1 [0.9%] vs 4 [3.7%]), or self-assessed health (85.9 vs 83.7 of 100) for medical doctors and surgeons.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study shows that medical doctors can be trained to perform elective inguinal hernia repair with mesh in men with good results and high patient satisfaction in a low-resource setting. This finding supports surgical task sharing to combat the global burden of hernia disease.

Hernia and Cancer: The Points Where the Roads Intersect

Introduction: This review aimed to present common points, intersections, and potential interactions or mutual effects for hernia and cancer. Besides direct relationships, indirect connections, and possible involvements were searched. Materials and Methods: A literature search of PubMed database was performed in July 2018 as well as a search of relevant journals and reference lists. The total number of screened articles was 1,422. Some articles were found in multiple different searches. A last PubMed search was performed during manuscript writing in December 2018 to update the knowledge. Eventually 427 articles with full text were evaluated, and 264 included, in this review. Results: There is no real evidence for a possible common etiology for abdominal wall hernias and any cancer type. The two different diseases had been found to have some common points in the studies on genes, integrins, and biomarkers, however, to date no meaningful relationship has been identified between these points. There is also some, albeit rather conflicting, evidence for inguinal hernia being a possible risk factor for testicular cancer. Neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapeutic modalities like chemotherapy and radiotherapy may cause postoperative herniation with their adverse effects on tissue repair. Certain specific substances like bevacizumab may cause more serious complications and interfere with hernia repair. There are only two articles in PubMed directly related to the topic of "hernia and cancer." In one of these the authors claimed that there was no association between cancer development and hernia repair with mesh. The other article reported two cases of squamous-cell carcinoma developed secondary to longstanding mesh infections. Conclusion: As expected, the relationship between abdominal wall hernias and cancer is weak. Hernia repair with mesh does not cause cancer, there is only one case report on cancer development following a longstanding prosthetic material infections. However, there are some intersection points between these two disease groups which are worthy of research in the future.