Ann Surg Treat Res.  2021 Apr;100(4):246-251. 10.4174/astr.2021.100.4.246.

Inguinal hernia repair with or without mesh in late adolescent males

• Kim SH
• Jung HS
• Park S
• Cho SS

• KMID: 2514722
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4174/astr.2021.100.4.246

Abstract

Purpose
Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common treatments worldwide, but there are few studies about the use of mesh in late adolescent patients because hernias are rare in this group. This study aimed to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of hernia repair with and without mesh in late adolescent patients.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the data of 243 male patients aged between 18 and 21 years who underwent inguinal hernia repair at a single institution from January 2013 to December 2017. We distinguished 2 groups depending on the repair method; mesh (n = 121) and no-mesh (n = 122) groups. We compared the baseline characteristics, immediate postoperative outcomes, and recurrence and chronic pain rates between the 2 groups.
Results
There were no significant differences between the mesh and no-mesh groups on immediate postoperative outcomes (length of stay: 18.5 ± 8.9 days vs. 17.0 ± 6.0 days, P = 0.139; postoperative complications: 8.2% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.821) and 2-year recurrence rate (0.8% vs. 2.6%, P = 0.194). There was a significant difference in the chronic pain rate (9.0% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.023).
Conclusion
Using mesh for inguinal hernia repair in late adolescent male patients increases chronic postoperative inguinal pain.

Keyword

Adolescent; Chronic pain; Inguinal hernia; Recurrence; Treatment outcome

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Trend of immediate postoperative pain between the operative methods. NRS, numeric rating score; TEP, totally extraperitoneal repair; POD, postoperative day.

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  Fig. 2 Two-year recurrence rate for late adolescents (n = 122) with inguinal hernia who received mesh repair compared to those who did not (n = 121).

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