Related Experiment Videos
Ipsilateral multiple groin hernias
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Lund, Malmö General Hospital, Sweden.
Background:
Recurrence rates after surgical repair of groin hernia vary between 3% and 20%. One possible reason for recurrent hernias are ipsilateral multiple hernias, which might have been overlooked at the primary operation.
Methods:
In the present series 1010 patients with unclear groin pain underwent herniography.
Results:
A total of 314 patients had hernias, and seventy-one (23%) of these had multiple hernias. Ipsilateral multiple hernias were found in 18 (6%) patients. Ipsilateral multiple hernias were present in 9 (6%) of 144 patients with an indirect hernia, in 17 (12%) of 144 patients with a direct hernia, in 5 (21%) of 24 patients with a femoral hernia, and in 3 (23%) of 13 patients with an obturator hernia. The hernias were of indirect, direct, femoral, and obturator types.
Conclusions:
The frequency of ipsilateral multiple hernias is much higher than the frequency reported during herniorrhaphy. Such overlooked ipsilateral multiple groin hernias may account for some of the so-called recurrences after herniorrhaphy. Therefore a careful exploration of the groin is mandatory. Preoperative herniography may also prove to be useful in patients with recurrent groin symptoms after herniorrhaphy.