Long-term outcomes of emergency Lichtenstein hernioplasty for incarcerated inguinal hernia

To evaluate the long-term outcomes of emergency Lichtenstein hernioplasty for incarcerated inguinal hernia.

The subjects of this prospective, observational study were 24 patients who underwent emergency Lichtenstein hernioplasty for an incarcerated inguinal hernia between September 2002 and January 2006 at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Thailand. Patients with bowel strangulation and recurrent hernia were excluded. We evaluated the long-term outcomes over at least a 2-year follow-up.

Long-term follow-up was completed for 20 patients (83.3 %). All of the patients were men, with a median age of 60 years (range 19-78 years) at the time of surgery. The median time to resumption of normal daily activities was 3 weeks (range 1-8 weeks). None of the patients had inguinal paresthesia persisting beyond 1 month after the operation. One patient (5 %) experienced chronic groin pain, which subsided within 4 months after surgery. Clinical recurrence was detected in two patients (10 %) during a median follow-up period of 6 years (range 2.3-7.6 years). Contralateral inguinal hernia was found in two patients (10 %) during follow-up.

Lichtenstein hernioplasty is a safe and effective operation for non-strangulated incarcerated inguinal hernia, with a recurrence rate of 10 % at the median follow-up time of 6 years. Chronic groin pain and inguinal paresthesia were rare in this series.