Incidence and significance of pneumoperitoneum after inguinal herniorrhaphy

Previous studies have shown pneumoperitoneum either to be extremely rare or to not occur after inguinal herniorrhaphy, and that its presence signifies a serious intra-abdominal complication. A prospective study has been carried out to consider the incidence and significance of pneumoperitoneum after herniorrhaphy for indirect inguinal hernias. In a 1-year period, 100 patients were studied. Pneumoperitoneum was detected in six patients. In five patients, the amount of free gas was minimal and was reabsorbed after 48 h. The pneumoperitoneum was large and of increasing amount in one patient. Faecal fistula developed 7 days after operation due to an injury from the hernial repair to the sigmoid colon. The result of this study suggested that detectable pneumoperitoneum of small amount may be present after inguinal herniorrhaphy and, if it persists for longer than 48 h, the presence of a perforated viscus should be considered.