Hernia

, Volume 19, Issue 6, pp 915–918 | Cite as

The necessity of routine histologic examination of hernia sac, revisited

Original Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Purpose

To validate the need of continuing the current practice of histologic examination of hernia sacs (HS).

Methods

All HS received by our laboratory over 15 years were reviewed for any pathological findings. Cases harboring these results were selectively re-examined histologically by a pathologist and their charts were reviewed by a surgeon checking for clinical significance. Moreover, previous studies were analyzed to reach a final conclusion.

Results

Pathological findings were noted in only 13.7 and 12.8 % of adults and kids HS, respectively. None of these had significant impact on patient care.

Conclusions

Serious pathologies reported in HS in the literature are rare. This, coupled with our data, suggest that the current practice of routine microscopic examination of HS is not justified. Criteria are proposed for categorizing cases as eligible for histologic evaluation. This will significantly reduce the workload and contain the cost.

Keywords

Hernia Clinic-pathologic criteria Significance Microscopic examination 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Professor Mohammed Elshawarby for his critical review.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the University of Dammam research ethics board (IRB-2014-01-299).

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag France 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Anatomic PathologyUniversity of Dammam, King Fahd Hospital of the UniversityKhobarSaudi Arabia
  2. 2.Surgery DepartmentUniversity of Dammam, King Fahd Hospital of the UniversityKhobarSaudi Arabia

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