Persistent postherniorrhaphy pain following inguinal hernia repair: A cross-sectional study of prevalence, pain characteristics, and effects on quality of life.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic inguinal pain due to the inguinal hernia repair is still a serious consideration, and its incidence is evident in approximately 3%-6% of the patients. The purpose of this study was performed to assess the prevalence of chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair and the effects on the quality of life in our patient. METHODS: The records of the patients who were 18 years of age or older and had had an inguinal hernia repair under spinal anesthesia after receiving a diagnosis of inguinal hernia at this hospital from 2009 to 2015 were accessed through the hospital's data system. Patients who had signed the informed consent agreement were given an Inguinal Pain Questionnaire (IPQ) and a Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN-4) questionnaire after recording their demographic data on the appointment day. Surgical incision line was evaluated with a dolorimeter and mild touch hypoesthesia, needle-touch hypoesthesia, brushing allodynia were evaluated with cotton, and 0.711 mm diameter Von-Frey filament (Touch-Test Sensory Evaluator Kit; North Coast Medical, Inc., Gilroy, CA, USA). RESULTS: The total number of patients who had ASA I-II scores and who had undergone a one-sided inguinal hernia repair under spinal anesthesia in elective conditions with at least three or more months of recovery time months was 619. Of these 264 patients, 203 with absence of pain (score of the severest pain over the past week and now was 0) were classified as the Non-Pain group and 61 patients with inguinal pain (score of the severest pain over the past week or now was 1 or more) were classified as the Pain group. The incidence of chronic pain after inguinal hernia surgery was 23.48% (n = 61) in our study. The pain was localized at and near the surgical incision and radiated into the scrotum in 17.73% (n = 36) of the male patients having chronic pain. While chronic pain developed in 60 out of 239 patients who had pain prior to the surgery. The presence of pain prior to the surgery was evaluated as an effective factor for the chronic groin pain. Neuropathic pain was detected with the DN-4 questionnaire in 6 (2.95%) out of 203 patients who stated that they had no pain during the physical examination and the week prior to the exam. The frequency of chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair was found 23.48% in our study. This is the same rate as previously reported. Quality of life of these patients was affected. We believe that there is an urgent need for prospective randomized studies with the aim of determining a standardized methodology towards preventive measures after determining the risk factors of chronic pain developed in the post inguinal hernia repair period.

Chronic postsurgical pain and neuropathic symptoms after abdominal hysterectomy: A silent epidemic.

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is an important clinic problem. It is assessed that prevalence of chronic pain extends to 30% but it is contended that there are various risk factors. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of chronic pain after hysterectomy, risk factors of chronicity, neuropathic features of pain, and sensorial alterations at surgery area.Between years 2012 and 2015, 16 to 65 ages old patients that electively undergone total abdominal hysterectomy bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and passed minimum 3 months after surgery were included to study. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Douleur Neuropathique 4-questionnaire (DN-4) surveys were used to evaluate pain symptoms, algometry device was used for evaluating abdominal pressure threshold and Von Frey Filament was used for sensorial alterations.Ninety-three of 165 eligible patients were included to study. As the groups were compared by demographic data, no difference was obtained (P > 0.05). There was no difference between groups regarding patient and surgery attributes (P > 0.05). Most frequently performed incision type was Pfannenstiel. Neuropathic symptoms were observed in 90 patients (96.8%). Sensorial alterations as hypoesthesia and hyperesthesia were detected around abdominal scar in 18 patients (19.4%) with pinprick test.Neuropathic symptoms should not be ignored in studies evaluating CPSP and a standard methodology should be designed for studies in this topic.

The thoracic paravertebral block performed for open cholecystectomy operation in order to anesthesia: Two cases.

It is known that, unilateral thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) applications performed with general anesthesia provide satisfactory conditions for open cholecystectomy increase the quality of post-operative analgesia and patient comfort and decrease the frequency of post-operative nausea and vomiting. In this case report, the TPVB was presented which was performed for two patients with high risk of anesthesia who have been planned to undergo open cholecystectomy.

Total Spinal Block after Thoracic Paravertebral Block.

Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) can be performed with or without general anaesthesia for various surgical procedures. TPVB is a popular anaesthetic technique due to its low side effect profile and high analgesic potency. We used 20 mL of 0.5% levobupivacaine for a single injection of unilateral TPVB at the T7 level with neurostimulator in a 63 year old patient with co-morbid disease who underwent cholecystectomy. Following the application patient lost consciousness, and was intubated. Haemodynamic instability was normalised with rapid volume replacement and vasopressors. Anaesthetic drugs were stopped at the end of the surgery and muscle relaxant was antagonised. Return of mucle strenght was shown with neuromuscular block monitoring. Approximately three hours after TPVB, spontaneous breathing started and consciousness returned. A total spinal block is a rare and life-threatening complication. A total spinal block is a complication of spinal anaesthesia, and it can also occur after peripheral blocks. Clinical presentation is characterised by hypotension, bradicardia, apnea, and cardiac arrest. An early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is life saving. In this case report, we want to present total spinal block after TPVB.