Risk factors related to recurrence in inguinal hernia repair: a retrospective analysis

The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate the long-term recurrence rate and risk factors for inguinal hernia recurrence in patients treated by the Shouldice suture repair. A total of 293 hernias treated by Shouldice suture technique in 1992 were studied retrospectively. After a 10-year follow-up, 15 potential risk factors for recurrence were assessed in 142 patients undergoing 171 Shouldice repairs. Recurrent hernias showed a significantly higher (22.0%) recurrence rate than primary inguinal hernias (7.7%). Furthermore, an age of more than 50 years, smoking, and the presence of two or more similarly affected relatives were found to be independent risk factors for recurrence. The present study underlines the importance of patient-related risk factors for the development of a recurrent inguinal hernia. Patients at risk should preoperatively be identified in order to improve treatment by, for example, the application of mesh techniques.