Trends in Australian inguinal hernia repair rates: a 15‐year population study

Abstract

Background: An inguinal hernia is one of the most common surgical pathologies, and therefore the repair of an inguinal hernia is one of the most common general surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the trend in inguinal hernia repair (IHR) rates in Australia between 2000/2001 and 2014/2015 using population data from public and private hospitals. Methods: ICD-10 data cubes from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare were analysed to determine the number of inguinal hernia repairs performed, open or laparoscopically, between 2000/2001 and 2014/2015 financial years. These data were combined with the Australian Bureau of Statistics population data estimates for the corresponding years, to give a procedure per 100 000 estimates. Results: Incidence of IHRs within Australia decreased from 217 to 194 per 100 000 population over the 15-year study period. There was a clear shift towards increased uptake of laparoscopic surgery with a subsequent fall in rates of open IHRs. Males accounted for the majority of IHR procedures. Unilateral repair was more common; however, the incidence of unilateral repair rates decreased while bilateral IHR rates increased over the study period. Conclusion: Laparoscopic techniques are increasingly being used within public and private institutions across the country for inguinal hernia repair. There has also been a decrease in the incidence of IHR procedures performed per year over the 15-year period studied, consistent with published literature from Europe and the USA. Methods Data extraction Data regarding surgical procedures performed in Australia, in both public and private hospitals, are recorded by the AIHW. Data regarding IHRs were located within each financial year's

Australian general surgical trainee experience with inguinal hernia surgery: a review of international training programmes and the learning curve

“…Many surgeons now favour LIHRs for the repair of unilateral primary or recurrent and bilateral inguinal hernias. Consistently the percentage of LIHRs being performed in Australia is increasing 3,23 with a complimentary decline in OIHRs. Laparoscopic repairs now account for 44.0% of inguinal hernia repairs in Australia 2 .…”

Impact of ultrasound on inguinal hernia repair rates in Australia: a population‐based analysis

“…The potential harm is that ultrasound findings may lead to unnecessary surgical repair and an increase in bilateral inguinal hernia repairs (IHRs) for contralateral occult inguinal hernias that would otherwise remain clinically insignificant, exposing patients to unnecessary risks of wound complications (haematoma and seroma), surgical site infections and long‐term chronic pain 3,4 . Previous work by one of our authors demonstrated an increase in bilateral IHRs in a similar patient population between 2000/2001 and 2014/2015, which was theorized as possibly being related to the anecdotal increase in the use of groin ultrasonography 11 …”

Extremely Late-Onset Deep Infection Post-inguinal Hernia Repair After Panendoscopy

“…Inguinal hernia repair is a very common general surgical procedure, with a yearly incidence of 200 per 100,000 in Australia [1], while the lifetime risk of inguinal hernias is 27% in men and 3% in women [2]. The use of mesh is now conventional since 1989 when Lichtenstein published his success of the tension-free hernioplasty [3], but mesh has been used successfully since 1959 when Usher and colleagues demonstrated that Marlex polyethylene made into a monofilament mesh could be used for hernia repairs with low recurrence and infection risk [4].…”