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Risk factors for reoperation due to chronic groin postherniorrhaphy pain

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Abstract

Background

Chronic groin postherniorrhaphy pain (CGPP) is common and sometimes so severe that surgical treatment is necessary. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for being reoperated due to CGPP.

Methods

All 195,707 repairs registered in the Swedish Hernia Register between 1999 and 2011 were included in the study. Out of these, 28,947 repairs were excluded since they were registered as procedures on the same patient after a previous repair. Age, gender, hernia anatomy (indirect reference), method of repair (anterior sutured repair reference) and postoperative complications were included in a multivariate Cox analysis with reoperation due to CGPP as endpoint.

Results

Of the patients included in the study cohort, 218 (0.13 %) later underwent reoperation due to CGPP, including 31 (14 %) women. Median age at the primary repair was 61.5 years. Risk factors for being reoperated were age < median [hazard ratio (HR) 3.03, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.22–4.12], female gender (HR 2.13, CI 1.41–3.21), direct hernia (HR 1.35, CI 1.003–1.81), other hernia (HR 6.03, CI 3.08–11.79), Lichtenstein repair (HR 2.22, CI 1.16–4.25), plug repair (HR 3.93, CI 1.96–7.89), other repair (HR 2.58, CI 1.08–6.19), bilateral repair (HR 2.58, CI 1.43–4.66) and postoperative complication (HR 4.40, CI 3.25–5.96).

Conclusions

Risk factors for being reoperated due to CGPP in this cohort included low age, female gender, a direct hernia, a previous Lichtenstein or plug repair, bilateral repair and postoperative complications. Further research on how to avoid CGPP and explore the effectiveness of surgery for CGPP is necessary.

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Acknowledgments

The study was approved by the Umeå University Ethics Review Board. It was supported by grants from the Anders Borgström Fellowship and the Olle Engqvist Research Foundation. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Presented in part as an abstract at the Swedish Surgical Society, 17th Surgical week, Linköping, Sweden, August 20–24, 2012 and at the 35th International Congress of the European Hernia Society, Gdansk, Poland, May 12–15, 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University and Skane University Hospital, 221 85, Lund, Sweden

    M. Hallén, D. Sevonius & J. Westerdahl

  2. Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Umeå University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden

    U. Gunnarsson

  3. CLINTEC, Division of Surgery, Karolinska Institute, 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden

    G. Sandblom

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  1. M. Hallén
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  2. D. Sevonius
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  3. J. Westerdahl
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  4. U. Gunnarsson
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  5. G. Sandblom
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Correspondence to M. Hallén.

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Hallén, M., Sevonius, D., Westerdahl, J. et al. Risk factors for reoperation due to chronic groin postherniorrhaphy pain. Hernia 19, 863–869 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-015-1408-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-015-1408-z

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