Publication:

Clinical study of pain after inguinal hernia repair

Background Chronic severe pain following inguinal hernia repair is a significant post-operative problem. Pain is a complex study subject, mostly defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

Methods Patients undergoing elective inguinal hernioplasty in the Hospital from March 2016 to March 2017 were included in the study. Seventy-eight patients were present for follow up for a period of 6 months. Patients presenting with obstructed/strangulated inguinal hernia were excluded from study.

Results Majority of our patients were male 97.43% with mean age 49.1 years (range 16-78 years). Table 8 shows the VAS scores of patients at six months following surgery. When patients were divided into groups of mild (1-3), moderate (4-7), and severe pain (>7) on basis of VAS score, it was found that majority, 34.61%, had mild pain, 8.97% had moderate pain, and less than 1% had severe pain.

Conclusions In the present study, author found that chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair causes significant morbidity to patients and should not be ignored. All measures must be taken to suppress early postoperative pain and prevent complications as these lead to development of chronic pain.