An Observational Analysis of Mesh Fixation with Minimum Sutures and Its Postoperative Outcomes

Abstract Background  The history of hernia repair is the history of the surgery itself. The surgical management of inguinal hernia has continuously evolved for 200 years. Aim  This article determines the incidence of recurrence, chronic pain, and complications following open, tension-free Lichtenstein hernioplasty using a minimal stitch approach. Material and Methods  This was a single-center, hospital-based, prospective observational study. A total of 197 participants with uncomplicated hernias were enrolled. All participants were operated following open, tension-free, minimal stitch Lichtenstein hernioplasty. The duration of follow-up was 6 months. Results  Thirty-one (15.7%) participants were lost to follow-up, and 154 (78.2%) participants completed the follow-up. Making total of 166 cases (of which 142 were unilateral and 12 were bilateral, counted as 24 individually). Overall, right-sided direct inguinal hernia (30%) was the most common type, followed by right-sided indirect hernia (26%). Most participants (85%) were given three sutures to fix the mesh during open tension-free hernioplasty. The incidence of postoperative complications, including wound infection, hematoma, and seroma, was zero among participants in each group. The incidence of chronic pain and recurrence at 3 and 6 months after the surgery was zero among all participants. Conclusion  Most patients in this study required three stitches to fix the mesh during hernioplasty. There were zero incidences of chronic pain, recurrence of the hernia, or any postoperative complication among participants. Thus, hernioplasty can be safely and effectively performed with minimal sutures among male patients with either unilateral or bilateral uncomplicated hernia.