Prognosis
Prognosis is excellent after surgical repair. Patients often report an improvement in their quality of life.[111]Magnusson J, Videhult P, Gustafsson U, et al. Relationship between preoperative symptoms and improvement of quality of life in patients undergoing elective inguinal herniorrhaphy. Surgery. 2014 Jan;155(1):106-13.
http://www.surgjournal.com/article/S0039-6060(13)00329-2/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23973111?tool=bestpractice.com
The incidence of recurrent hernia with mesh repair is reported to be less than 2%.[108]Belyansky I, Tsirline VB, Klima DA, et al. Prospective, comparative study of postoperative quality of life in TEP, TAPP, and modified Lichtenstein repairs. Ann Surg. 2011 Nov;254(5):709-14.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21997807?tool=bestpractice.com
[109]Shulman AG, Amid PK, Lichtenstein IL.The safety of mesh repair for primary inguinal hernias: results of 3,019 operations from five diverse surgical sources. Am Surg. 1992 Apr;58(4):255-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1586085?tool=bestpractice.com
Complications include haematoma, seroma, and paraesthesias/numbness in the groin that dissipates over time.
Moderate to severe chronic groin pain is reported to occur in 10% to 12% of patients after inguinal hernia repair.[2]HerniaSurge Group. International guidelines for groin hernia management. Hernia. 2018 Feb;22(1):1-165.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10029-017-1668-x
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29330835?tool=bestpractice.com
[112]Poobalan AS, Bruce J, Smith WC, et al. A review of chronic pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy. Clin J Pain. 2003 Jan-Feb;19(1):48-54.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12514456?tool=bestpractice.com
[113]Bay-Nielsen M, Perkins FM, Kehlet H; Danish Hernia Database. Pain and functional impairment 1 year after inguinal herniorrhaphy: a nationwide questionnaire study. Ann Surg. 2001 Jan;233(1):1-7.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421158
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11141218?tool=bestpractice.com
It is more likely to occur in patients who present with groin pain preoperatively as their primary symptom,[111]Magnusson J, Videhult P, Gustafsson U, et al. Relationship between preoperative symptoms and improvement of quality of life in patients undergoing elective inguinal herniorrhaphy. Surgery. 2014 Jan;155(1):106-13.
http://www.surgjournal.com/article/S0039-6060(13)00329-2/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23973111?tool=bestpractice.com
[114]Alfieri S, Amid PK, Campanelli G, et al. International guidelines for prevention and management of post-operative chronic pain following inguinal hernia surgery. Hernia. 2011 Jun;15(3):239-49.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21365287?tool=bestpractice.com
[115]Nikkolo C, Murruste M, Vaasna T, et al. Three-year results of randomised clinical trial comparing lightweight mesh with heavyweight mesh for inguinal hernioplasty. Hernia. 2012 Oct;16(5):555-9.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22782366?tool=bestpractice.com
and incidence is reported to be higher after open repair than laparoscopic repair.[81]Eklund A, Montgomery A, Bergkvist L, et al. Chronic pain 5 years after randomized comparison of laparoscopic and Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair. Br J Surg. 2010 Apr;97(4):600-8.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20186889?tool=bestpractice.com