Elective repair of uncomplicated inguinal hernia in south eastern nigerian

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Aims and Objectives:Inguinal hernia repair is the most common operation in general surgery worldwide. Elective repair to safeguard complications is recommended because outcomes of early repair are uniformly superior to results of emergency operations. This study aimed to document our own experiences with regards to elective repair of uncomplicated inguinal hernia and compare our fi ndings with previous data. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive prospective study of 261 consecutive patients with uncomplicated inguinal hernias repaired electively at Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, southeastern Nigeria between January 2010 to December 2012. Relevant data extracted and analyzed with SPSS version 22.0 included patients' demographics, clinical details, surgical repairs and outcome measures. Result: A total of two hundred and sixty one patients with 306 uncomplicated inguinal hernias repaired electively were enrolled. The age range of the patients was 2 months -88 years with a mean age of 35.7 +/-SD 16.6. Majority (46.4%) of the patients presented with hernias on the right side, the rest either had hernias on the left(36.4%) or both sides (17.2%). At operation, 203 (66.3%) hernias were indirect, 96 (31.4%) direct and 7 (2.3%) pantaloon hernias. Modifi ed Bassini repair was used in the majority (66.7%) of patients. Complications occurred in only 9.7% of repairs. At a median follow up of 8 months, 1 (0.3%) hernia recurrence was seen. No mortality was recorded. Conclusion: Inguinal hernias in our environment are very common, but often neglected. Our results show that elective repair is critical for preventing devastating complications and ensuring successful surgical outcomes.

Feasibility and Safety of Prosthetic Implants for Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

“…This health-seeking attitude is reflected in the high proportions of inguinoscrotal hernias, extensive hernias with wide neck and recurrent hernias reminiscent of long standing, neglected disease and high pre-existing repair failures due to inefficient repair methods. This pattern of presentation was noted in our previous publication in this unit and conforms with findings from similar studies in Nigeria, Tanzania, Sierra 17,3,18,20,22 Leone, Liberia and India.…”

“…The rate of utilization of local anaesthetic infiltration was highest among patients with unilateral hernia, primary hernias, bubonocele and those with comorbidities compared to its application for bilateral, recurrent or inguinoscrotal hernias where its use was virtually non-existent in this series. Traditionally, general and spinal anaesthetic techniques appear to be favored by many anesthetists and surgeons treating inguinal hernias in 3,4,17,24 Africa.…”

Emergency laparotomy at district hospitals in a developing nation: a review of indications and outcomes of treatment

“…Appendix was the most common indication for emergency laparotomy and the most frequent cause of generalized peritonitis in this study. Hitherto, intestinal obstruction from strangulated external hernias was the most frequent indication in the West African subregion, but an epidemiological shift occurred in favor of appendicitis in a manner akin to the Western pattern (9,11,13,16,(27)(28)(29)(30). The reasons adduced included westernization of lifestyle, increased rates of elective repair of external hernia and general improvement in data documentation and access to surgical care in the sub-region (2,11,13,27).…”