Prospective randomized trial of laparoscopic (transabdominal preperitoneal-TAPP) versus open (mesh) repair for bilateral and recurrent inguinal hernia: incidence of chronic groin pain and impact on quality of life: results of 10 year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The incidence of chronic groin pain (CGP) and its impact on quality of life (QoL) after hernia repair are not clear with follow-up either being short or retrospective. We present 10-year prospective follow-up of a randomized trial for bilateral and recurrent hernia repair focusing on CGP and its impact on QoL.

METHODS: Patients enrolled between 1997 and 2000 were contacted by telephone and asked about the presence of CGP. Those patients with CGP were sent two validated questionnaires: a SF-12v2 Health Survey and a Pain Impact Questionnaire (PIQ-6) (QualityMetric, USA).

RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients were recruited into the original study, and of these, 14 complained of CGP and were sent a PIQ-6 and a SF-12 v2 health survey. Overall, there was a higher incidence of CGP in the laparoscopic group compared with the open group (15 vs. 8 %, ns), but the severity of the pain in the laparoscopic group was less (2 vs. 3.5, p = 0.0558). QoL was significantly reduced in patients with CGP compared with the US norm. The laparoscopic group scored higher in 5 out of 8 of the QoL categories compared with the open group, but this was not significant. Overall age-adjusted scores revealed those under 65 years of age felt they had poorer physical health, and this reduced their QoL compared to normal values.

CONCLUSION: CGP following laparoscopic surgery for inguinal hernia repair is less severe than open repair, but this does not translate into a significant improvement in QoLin this study.