Mesh hernioplasty for inguinal hernias

Abstract EN

A prospective study was performed at Saddam Teaching Hospital in Basrah over a thirteen months period to evaluate the use of mesh hernioplasty for repairing inguinal hernias.

Forty-eight patients with inguinal hernias repaired electively with mesh hernioplasty.

The age distribution was (17–79) years.

Three of them were diabetics, three hypertensive, two with chronic obstruction airway diseases and one with bleeding tendency.

Perioperatively, the hernias were classified according to Gilbert's classification.

Forty-seven primary hernias repaired according to Lichtenstein technique and one through preperitoneal approach (recurrent hernia).

Forty-six hernias repaired under general anaesthesia and two under local anaesthesia.

Prophylactic antibiotic was given as a single dose at induction of anaesthesia and a single postoperative dose.

There were thirty patients (62.5 %) indirect hernias, thirteen patients (27 %) of direct hernias, five patients (10.4 %) of pantallon type.

The mesh used was polypropylene either as plug in one patient (2 %) or plug with on-lay mesh in thirty-three patients (68.75 %) or as on-lay mesh in fourteen patients (29.1 %).

In six patients closed suction drainage used if there was unsatisfactory haemostasis, there were few post operative complications, all patients complained of mild postoperative pain that did not require strong analgesia.

No urinary difficulty detected.

Six patients (12.5 %) developed scrotal oedema mainly at the beginning of the study, one scrotal haematoma (2 %), four (8.3 %) wound seroma and one (2 %) superficial wound infection, neither chronic sinus nor orchitis.

No recurrence with a follow up period of 2–12 months were recorded.