The following is a summary of “Efficacy and safety of ilioinguinal neurectomy in open tension-free inguinal hernia repair: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials,” published in the October 2023 issue of Surgery by Hu, et al.
The routine use of ilioinguinal neurectomy in open tension-free inguinal hernia repair remained a topic of debate.
PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials focusing on ilioinguinal neurectomy in open tension-free inguinal hernia repair. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.3 software.
The meta-analysis indicated a lower incidence of severe pain on the first postoperative day in the ilioinguinal neurectomy group (ING) compared to the ilioinguinal nerve preservation group (INPG) [P < 0.0001]. ING showed a higher incidence of no pain in the first month postoperatively [P = 0.0004], no pain in the sixth month postoperatively [P < 0.00001], and numbness in the first month postoperatively [P = 0.001] compared to INPG. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of severe pain in the first month postoperatively [P = 0.20], numbness in the sixth postoperative month [P = 0.05], hypoesthesia in the first month [P = 0.15], and hypoesthesia in the sixth month [P = 0.85] between the two groups.
In open tension-free inguinal hernia repair, ilioinguinal neurectomy appeared to be more effective in preventing postoperative pain.
Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(23)00280-5/fulltext
