[The ramus genitalis syndrome following hernia repair. A clinical study concerning its preventability]

Postoperative chronic inguinal pain was studied in 460 patients who underwent Shouldice repairs. A follow-up investigation (91.9%) found a reduced incidence of chronic inguinal pain by preparing the genital branch of the genito-femoral nerve and severing it if necessary. By proceeding in this fashion, the incidence of inguinal entrapment syndromes can be reduced below 2% without influencing the early postoperative complication rate (5.5% and 6.7%) or the recurrence rate (0.5% and 0.96%). Compared with the ilio-inguinalis syndrome the ramus genitalis syndrome is an important cause of chronic inguinodynia after hernia repair.