Anatomical differentiation of direct and indirect inguinal hernias: Is it worthwhile in the modern era?

A Systematic Review Shows High Variation in Terminology, Surgical Techniques, Preoperative Diagnostic Measures, and Geographic Differences in the Treatment of Athletic Pubalgia/Sports Hernia/Core Muscle Injury/Inguinal Disruption

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review of reported terminologies, surgical techniques, preoperative diagnostic measures, and geographic differences in the treatment of core muscle injury (CMI)/athletic pubalgia/inguinal disruption.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify clinical studies or articles that described a surgical technique to treat CMI refractory to nonoperative treatment. The search phrase used was "core muscle injury" OR "sports hernia" OR "athletic pubalgia" OR "inguinal disruption." The diagnostic terminology, country of publication, preoperative diagnostic measures, surgical technique, and subspecialty of the operating surgeons described in each article were extracted and reported.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 3 surgical technique articles and 28 clinical articles (2 Level I evidence, 1 Level II, 4 Level III, and 21 Level IV). A total of 1,571 patients were included. The most common terminology used to describe the diagnosis was "athletic pubalgia," followed by "sports hernia." Plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis were the most common imaging modalities used in the preoperative evaluation of CMI/athletic pubalgia/inguinal disruption. Tenderness-to-palpation testing was the most common technique performed during physical examination, although the specific locations assessed with this technique varied substantially. The operating surgeons were general surgeons (16 articles), a combination of orthopaedic and general surgeons (7 articles), or orthopaedic surgeons (5 articles). The most common procedures performed were open or laparoscopic mesh repair, adductor tenotomy, primary tissue (hernia) repair, and rectus abdominis repair. The procedures performed differed on the basis of surgeon subspecialty, geographic location, and year of publication.

CONCLUSIONS

A variety of diagnostic methods and surgical procedures have been used in the treatment of a CMI/athletic pubalgia/sports hernia/inguinal disruption. These procedures are performed by orthopaedic and/or general surgeons, with the procedures performed differing on the basis of surgeon subspecialty and geographic location.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V, systematic review of Level I to V studies.

Macroscopic demonstration of the male urogenital system with evidence of a direct inguinal hernia utilizing room temperature plastination

The male urogenital system represents a morphologically complex region that arises from a common embryological origin. However, it is typically studied separately as the excretory system is dissected with the posterior wall of the abdomen while the reproductive features are exposed with the pelvis and perineum dissection. Additionally, the reproductive structures are typically dissected following pelvic and perineal hemisection obviating a comprehensive and holistic examination. Here, we performed a dissection of the complete male urogenital system utilizing a 70-year-old donor and room temperature silicon plastination. Identification of a direct inguinal hernia during the dissection facilitated a unique opportunity to incorporate a common abdominal wall defect into the plastination requiring a novel approach to retain patency of relevant structures. Results showed that the typical structures identified in medical gross anatomy were retained in addition to the hernia. Thus, the described approach and the resulting specimen provide valuable and versatile teaching tools for male urogenital anatomy.

A new accurate method of physical examination for differentiation of inguinal hernia types

BACKGROUND

It is generally stated that preoperative differentiation between indirect and direct inguinal hernias by physical examination is inaccurate and irrelevant. With the expansion of the laparoscopic technique, new relevance has emerged. Laparoscopic correction of an indirect hernia is more challenging and time consuming than laparoscopic correction of a direct hernia. Preoperative knowledge concerning the type of hernia informs the laparoscopic surgeon about the required expertise and the expected operative time, and this knowledge is useful for training programs and management. The authors therefore developed a new accurate and easy method of physical examination to differentiate types of inguinal hernia. A prospective study was conducted to determine the accuracy of this new method that combines physical examination with a hand-held Doppler device (not ultrasound) to differentiate types of inguinal hernia.

METHODS

This prospective diagnostics study consisted of two consecutive parts. Each part included 100 consecutive patients presenting with an inguinal hernia. The inguinal occlusion test was used to differentiate the types of inguinal hernia during physical examination in the first part of the study. A hand-held Doppler device was used for adequate localization of the epigastric vessels in addition to the occlusion test in the second part of the study. Preoperative remarks were compared with findings during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. The McNemar symmetry χ (2) test was used for statistical evaluation

RESULTS

The first part of the study showed a preoperative accuracy of 35 % for direct inguinal hernias and 86 % for indirect inguinal hernias (p < 0.001). The second part of the study showed a preoperative accuracy of 79 % for direct inguinal hernias and 93 % for indirect inguinal hernias (p < 0.001) CONCLUSION: The inguinal occlusion test combined with the use of a handheld Doppler device is accurate in distinguishing direct and indirect inguinal hernias and provides useful management information in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.