What has changed in 20 years in Abdominal Wall Hernia Repairments Performed in Two Hospitals in Adana?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the developments in the last 20 years regarding abdominal wall hernia repairments by examining the surgery records performed in the General Surgery Clinics of two large hospitals in Adana. METHODS: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, abdominal wall hernia repairments performed in Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital between 01.01.1999-31.12.1999 were analyzed. In the second stage, operations performed in Adana Seyhan State Hospital between 01.01.2019-31.12.2019 were analyzed by using medical records. The following parameters were compared for 1999 and 2019: age, gender, type of hernia, being unilateral or bilateral, emergency or elective operation, recurrence constellation, operation technique and type of mesh. RESULTS: In the first stage of the study, 391 operations were performed with bilateral repairs on 379 cases. The mean age of the patients was 49.0(±3.7) and median was 43 years, 62.2%(n = 263) were male, 41.4% (n = 157) were between 45-64 years of age. The most common type of hernia was inguinal hernia with 72.0%(n = 273) and the rate was 7.8 times higher in male than in female. The most common surgical technique was Bassini repair(42.4%, n = 166). In the second stage of the study, 1719 operations were performed with bilateral repairs on 1680 cases. The mean age of the patients was 49.4(±3.3) and median was 51 years, 65.9%(n = 1107) of them were male, 48.6%(n = 816) were between 45-64 years of age. The most common type of hernia was inguinal hernia with 50.4%(n = 848) and the rate was 16.6 times higher in male than in female. The most common surgical technique was Prolene Mesh Hernioraphy(73.1%, n = 1257). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the last 20 years, it was determined that surgical repair techniques in abdominal wall hernias have changed a lot, and techniques such as Bassini, Shouldice, Halsted, McVay have been replaced by prosthetic mesh and laparoscopic repairs that provide less recurrence, less chronic pain and faster recovery time.