[A girl with a painful hip after a splits]. / Een meisje met een pijnlijke heup na spagaat.

A 14-year-old girl had a painful hip after making a splits on a trampoline. On X-ray we discovered an avulsion fracture of the spina iliaca anterior superior, which healed in 6 weeks with conservative treatment.

Chronic pain after mesh repair of inguinal hernia: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a severe complication of mesh-based inguinal hernia repair. Its perceived risk varies widely in the literature. The current objectives are to review the incidence, severity, and consequences of chronic pain and its etiologies. DATA SOURCES: A multi-database systematic search was conducted for prospective trials on mesh-based inguinal hernia repair reporting the measurement and outcome of pain at least 3 months postoperatively with a minimum follow-up of 80%. CONCLUSIONS: After mesh-based inguinal hernia repair, 11% of patients suffer chronic pain. More than a quarter of these patients have moderate to severe pain, mostly with a neuropathic origin. As a consequence of chronic pain, almost one third of patients have limitations in daily leisure activities. Chronic pain is less frequent after endoscopic repair and with the use of a light-weighted mesh.

Pain after open preperitoneal repair versus Lichtenstein repair: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The open preperitoneal approach in inguinal hernia repair might have the benefit of a mesh in the preferred space without the disadvantages of an endoscopic procedure. METHODS: A total of 172 patients with primary inguinal hernia were randomized to undergo the open preperitoneal Kugel or the standard open anterior Lichtenstein procedure in a teaching hospital. The main outcome measures were operating variables, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, and consumed analgesics during the first 2 weeks postoperatively and at 3 months, neurological examination, and complications. RESULTS: In the Lichtenstein group the operation took longer (54 min versus 41 min; p < .001). There were no clinically important differences in VAS pain score or number of analgesics during the first 2 weeks postoperatively. In the Kugel group the mean VAS pain score at 3 months was less (0.3 versus 0.9; p = .002), as was the proportion of patients reporting pain (21 versus 40%; p = .007). Pain was merely described as neuropathic, especially in the Lichtenstein group. With the anterior repair significantly more nerves were encountered, numbness reported, and cutaneous sensory changes found with neurological examination (all p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: For those surgeons preferring an open approach, the Kugel procedure is a feasible alternative for the standard Lichtenstein procedure and is associated with less chronic pain at three months. Most likely the neuropathic pain and numbness with the Lichtenstein technique are results of more nerves at risk with the anterior approach.