Long-term complaints after elective repair for small umbilical or epigastric hernias

Elective repair for umbilical or epigastric hernia is a frequent minor surgical procedure. Several studies have demonstrated chronic pain after groin hernia repair but long-term complaints have been only scarcely studied. This study was undertaken to investigate long-term pain and discomfort after open repair for small umbilical or epigastric hernias.

This is a retrospective study with prospective long-term follow-up. Only elective primary umbilical or epigastric hernias with an open mesh or sutured repair were included. A structured follow-up questionnaire was sent to all patients regarding verbal rating scores (VRS) of pain and discomfort (no, little, moderate, or severe) and recurrence. Patients with suspected recurrence were clinically examined.

There were 139 eligible patients, and 132 patients answered the questionnaire (95 % response rate). The median follow-up time was 36 months (range 15-85), and defect size was 1.0 cm (0.2-8.0). Sixteen patients reported moderate or severe pain and/or discomfort (12 %, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 6-18). The cumulated risk of recurrence was 11.5 %. Of the 15 patients with clinical recurrence or reoperation for recurrence, 5 patients reported moderate/severe complaints (31 %) whereas 11 of the remaining 116 patients with no recurrence (10 %) reported moderate/severe complaints (P = 0.014).

Surprisingly, many patients complained about pain and discomfort 3 years after elective repair for a small umbilical or epigastric hernia.