Matching males and females undergoing non mesh primary unilateral inguinal hernia repair: evaluating sex differences in preoperative and acute postoperative pain.

PURPOSE: The objective was to compare pain and related psychological factors during the preoperative and acute postoperative period between male and female patients, who underwent non mesh primary unilateral inguinal hernia repair. METHODS: After ethics approval, informed consent was obtained, and data were collected. Male and female participants were compared by manually matching one-to-one on 10 variables. Descriptive statistics (mean ± standard deviation and frequency) as well as numerical rating scales from 0 to 10 were used. Comparison tests were performed using Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test for categorical data and independent samples t-test or non-parametric equivalent tests for numerical scores. p < 0.05 is reported as statistically significant. To control type I error, Bonferroni correction was used. RESULTS: 72 participants with 36 matched pairs were included. Sex differences were found for operation length (p = .006), side of operation (p = .002), and hernia type (p = .013). Significant differences between the sexes were not found at the preoperative or postoperative time for resilience, pain interference or pain severity related measures, postoperative hernia pain incidence, pain catastrophizing, depression and anxiety symptoms, or return to normal activities. CONCLUSION: When controlling for known confounders and using a conservative Type I error rate, pain and related factors between the sexes did not differ significantly.

How to Article: Prehabilitation and postoperative treatment at Shouldice Hospital.

Shouldice Hospital has grown beyond its beginnings in the 1940s to become a leading centre of excellence for mesh-free hernia repair. Little is known to the international surgical community about the preoperative and postoperative care at Shouldice Hospital, and colleagues working at Shouldice Hospital have been repeatedly asked to provide more details at international and national congresses. Therefore, this article aims to summarize preoperative and postoperative care at Shouldice Hospital based on previously published literature. The authors believe that the long-standing tradition of prehabilitation and postoperative treatment may play a role in facilitating patient satisfaction and superior postoperative results after hernia surgery.

Temporal patterns for inguinal hernia recurrence operations after Shouldice Repair.

PURPOSE: Shouldice Repair for inguinal hernias results in a low recurrence rate; however, little is known about the risk factors for these relapses. In the present study, we reviewed all patient's undergoing a reoperation for recurrence after a primary Shouldice Repair. METHODS: Patients undergoing recurrent inguinal hernia repair from 2013 to 2017 were identified. The subgroup of patients with the first recurrence after a Shouldice Repair at this institution was selected and included. Data collection from the index and the reoperation surgery were performed, as well as statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 125 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 50.8 ± 13.9 (body mass index: 24.6 ± 2.6 kg/m2), 97% were male. The most common interval for a recurrence reoperation was in the first 5 years following the initial surgery (37.6% of patients; mode: 1 year; median: 7 years; mean: 13.7 ± 13.8 years). A temporal median pattern for recurrence reoperation according to age interval was noted (patients < 41 years old: 20 years; patients aged 41-60 years old: 10 years and patients > 61 years: 2 years)). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing reoperations for recurrent inguinal hernias after a primary Shouldice Repair presented a pattern of temporal recurrence according to age. Older patients present with earlier recurrences than younger ones, an important consideration in the assessment of patients postoperatively.

Incidence of opioid use and early postoperative pain intensity after primary unilateral inguinal hernia repair at a single-center specialty hospital.

PURPOSE: This research examined opioid use, pain intensity, and pain management after primary unilateral inguinal hernia repair (PUIHR) at a single-center specialty hospital. METHODS: After research, ethics board approval, and informed consent, pain scores (0-10 numerical rating scale [NRS]) were obtained from survey-based questionnaires administered at the pre- and 3-day postoperative timepoints. Descriptive results are presented as frequency, mean, standard deviation, range, median, and interquartile ranges, as appropriate. Significance tests were conducted to compare participants who did and did not receive opioids after surgery. p-value <0.05 is considered statistically significant. As the standard of care, participants received nonopioid multimodal analgesia (acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)) and opioids, when necessary. RESULTS: A total of 414 and 331 participants completed the pre- and 3-day postoperative questionnaires, respectively. Out of the 414 participants, 38 (9.2%) received opioids during the postoperative stay. There was no significant difference between pain frequency or mean preoperative NRS pain intensity scores of those who did and did not receive opioids. Mean NRS pain intensity scores on day 3 after surgery were significantly higher for participants who received opioids (3.15±2.08) than those who did not (2.19±1.95), p=0.005. CONCLUSION: Most participants did not receive opioids after PUIHR and had lower mean postoperative NRS pain intensity scores compared to those who did, most likely reflecting the need for opioids among the latter. Opioids were discontinued by day 3 for all participants who received them. Therefore, for most patients undergoing PUIHR, effective pain control can be achieved with nonopioid multimodal analgesia in the early postoperative period.

Muscular groin hernias: an anatomical variation as a cause of recurrence.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to understand our center's experience with the rare entity of muscular groin hernias. Specifically, to determine this hernia's incidence and characteristics and provide valuable information to surgeons that can be utilized at the time of a hernia repair regardless of modality used. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review between 2005 and 2019. Patients who had a primary or recurrent groin hernia operation for an atypically located hernia (other than direct, indirect, or femoral) were included. Descriptive statistics were utilized to present the hernia and patient data as median (interquartile range, range). RESULTS: There were 152 patients with 155 muscular hernias identified in primary operations and 41 patients with 41 muscular hernias identified in recurrent operations. In both primary and recurrent groups there were more males, and the males were on average younger with a higher body mass index (BMI) than females. Most muscular hernias were located lateral (76) or lateral/superior (33) to the internal ring with a median distance between 2 and 3 cm (1, 0.3-5; 2.8,2-5) from the internal ring. A concurrent ipsilateral inguinal hernia was found and repaired in 42.3% of left and 46.8% of right sided primary muscular hernia operations. A concurrent ipsilateral inguinal hernia was noted in 5% of left and 14.3% of right sided recurrent muscular operations. In left sided recurrent operations for a muscular hernia, 68.9% had a previous ipsilateral inguinal hernia repair and in right sided recurrent operations, 67.7% had a previous ipsilateral inguinal hernia repair. CONCLUSION: This study describes a previously unidentified groin muscular hernia in both primary and recurrent hernia operations as a potential cause of hernia recurrence and identifies muscular hernia locations. This information can be utilized at the time of surgery to identify and subsequently repair these defects, leading to improved patient and hernia outcomes.

Spigelian hernias: A high volume institutional review.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate a high-volume hernia center's experience with primary Spigelian hernias. Introduction: Spigelian hernias are rare entities presenting a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians that often lead to a delay in treatment or need for emergency surgery. Given this low incidence true patient and hernia characteristics are unknown. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review evaluating patients who underwent a Spigelian hernia repair between 2005 and 2019. Descriptive statistics were utilized. Results: The incidence of Spigelian hernias at our institution was 0.14 %. There were 141 patients with 143 spigelian hernias (two patients had bilateral hernias) repaired at our institution during the study period, the majority of these were in male patients, left sided and repaired under conscious sedation with or without the use of mesh. Conclusion: This study adds a large dataset to the paucity of literature that exists in the context of Spigelian hernias and alerts the clinician that these hernias are not exclusive to the older female population. Furthermore, this study provides the need for a high index of suspicion in patients presenting with vague abdominal pain who may not fit the typical Spigelian hernia mold.

The Shouldice Method: an expert's consensus.

BACKGROUND: Hernia repairs are a commonly performed surgical procedure and the Shouldice Repair of inguinal hernias has been well described before in terms of its outcomes. However, the purpose of this paper was to understand what experts from Shouldice Hospital consider to be the essential steps to the Shouldice Method. METHODS: Utilizing a Delphi Methodology, surgeons at Shouldice Hospital who are considered content experts, provided their answers on what is essential to the Shouldice Method. The median, interquartile range, and percent agreement from the responses as well as the Delphi's overall Cronbach's Alpha were determined. All Delphi items were ranked on a five-point Likert scale and consensus was reached when Cronbach's Alpha was ≥ 0.8. The items from the survey that ranked as 5-completely agree or 4-partially agree by ≥ 80% of participants on the five-point Likert scale were included in the final framework. RESULTS: The final consensus for the Shouldice Method included 39 items with 7 overarching steps: preoperative preparation of the patient, anesthetic component, incision and nerve identification, treatment of the cremasteric muscles, hernia identification and treatment, reconstruction of the posterior wall, and post-operative management of patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this consensus provide a step-by-step approach to the Shouldice Method, as well as information that is timely and can be utilized by surgeons incorporating non-mesh hernia repairs into their practice.