Study of patients with painless inguinal hernia in the quality of life

Inguinal hernias are one of the commonest surgical problems in our set up. It is a protrusion of abdominal cavity contents through the inguinal canal. This is a retrospective study done in the Department of Surgery, Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital (NMCTH) from January 2009 to December 2010. During this period, 120 patients with painless hernia were enrolled in the study. The age range was from 30 years to 76 years with mean age of presentation at 53 years. Out of 120 patients who underwent mesh repair only 74 patients (61.7%) had visible hernia on standing and 46 patients (38.3%) had palpable impulse on cough. 90 patients (75%) were males and indirect hernia (53.3%) was more common than direct hernia. Out of 120 cases, 30 cases underwent inguinal neurectomy which on follow up had no pain at all. In other 90 cases, neurectomy was not confirmed from the operative note. In these 90 cases, 12 patients had mild pain and 10 patients had moderate to severe pain on 6 months follow up. To conclude, surgical repair is recommended for painless inguinal hernia as most of the patients develop symptoms over time and to avoid undue complications.