Cooperative Hernia Study

Abstract

The Cooperative Hernia Study assessed postoperative pain in a prospective trial as part of a larger study looking at the recurrence rate and other morbidity of the Bassini, McVay, and Shouldice repairs. Patients were randomized to one of three surgical hernia repairs. Patients were seen in follow-up at 6, 12, and 24 months and were assessed for the presence of pain, numbness, paresthesia, and recurrence. Three hundred fifteen patients were seen in follow-up, with 276 seen at the 2-year mark. At 1 year, 62.9% of patients had groin or inguinal pain and 11.9% of patients had moderate to severe pain; 53.6% had pain and 10.6% of patients continued to report moderate to severe pain 2 years postoperatively. The predictors for long-term postoperative pain were as follows: absence of a visible bulge before the operation (p Conclusion Pain or numbness are common late sequelae of traditional external surgical hernia repairs. Strategies need to be developed to reduce the risk of these complications.