Diltiazem reduces levels of NT-proBNP and improves symptoms compared with metoprolol in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation.

AIMS: Short-term treatment with calcium channel blockers lowers levels of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and reduces rhythm-related symptoms compared to treatment with beta-blockers. The aim of this study was to compare the longer-term effects of metoprolol and diltiazem for rate control in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation after six months. METHODS AND RESULTS: Men and women with permanent atrial fibrillation and preserved left ventricular systolic function were randomised to receive either diltiazem 360 mg or metoprolol 100 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was the level of NT-proBNP after a six-month treatment period. Secondary endpoints included heart rate, rhythm-related symptoms and exercise capacity. A total of 93 patients (mean age 71 ±7 years, 28 women) were randomised. After six months' treatment, mean levels of NT-proBNP decreased in the diltiazem group and increased in the metoprolol group, with a significant between-group difference (409.8 pg/mL, 95% CI: 230.6 - 589.1, P<0.001). Treatment with diltiazem significantly reduced rhythm-related symptoms compared to baseline, but no change was observed in the metoprolol group. Diltiazem and metoprolol had similar effects on heart rate and exercise capacity. CONCLUSION: Diltiazem reduced NT-proBNP levels and improved rhythm-related symptoms. Metoprolol increased peptide levels but had no impact on symptoms despite similar heart rate reduction. Non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers should be considered more often for rate control in permanent atrial fibrillation.

Epidemiology and surgical management of 184 obturator hernias: a nationwide registry-based cohort study.

PURPOSE: We aimed describe the patient characteristics, surgical details, postoperative outcomes, and prevalence and incidence of obturator hernias. Obturator hernias are rare with high mortality and no consensus on the best surgical approach. Given their rarity, substantial data is lacking, especially related to postoperative outcomes. METHODS: The study was based on data from the nationwide Danish Hernia Database. All adults who underwent obturator hernia surgery in Denmark during 1998-2023 were included. The primary outcomes were demographic characteristics, surgical details, postoperative outcomes, and the prevalence and incidence of obturator hernias. RESULTS: We included 184 obturator hernias in 167 patients (88% females) with a median age of 77 years. Emergency surgeries constituted 42% of repairs, and 72% were laparoscopic. Mesh was used in 77% of the repairs, with sutures exclusively used in emergency repairs. Concurrent groin hernias were found in 57% of cases. Emergency surgeries had a 30-day mortality of 14%, readmission rate of 21%, and median length of stay of 6 days. Elective surgeries had a 30-day mortality of 0%, readmission rate of 10%, and median length of stay of 0 days. The prevalence of obturator hernias in hernia surgery was 0.084% (95% CI: 0.071%-0.098%), with an incidence of one per 400,000 inhabitants annually. CONCLUSIONS: This was the largest cohort study to date on obturator hernias. They were rare, affected primarily elderly women. The method of repair depends on whether the presentation is acute, and emergency repair is associated with higher mortality.

Lower recurrence rate after groin and primary ventral hernia repair performed by high-volume surgeons: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Hernia repair is a common procedure; however, an overview is lacking regarding the impact of annual surgeon volume and total surgical experience on the outcome of hernia repair. We aimed to explore the impact of annual surgeon volume and total surgical experience on outcomes of groin and primary ventral hernia repair. METHODS: This systematic review followed the Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020176140). PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched. We investigated recurrence rates after groin and primary ventral hernia repair reported according to annual surgeon volume or total surgical experience with at least 6 months follow-up. Surgeons were pooled in three overlapping categories: high-volume (> 50 cases/year), medium-volume (11-50 cases/year) and low-volume (≤ 25 cases/year). RESULTS: Ten records for groin hernia and one for primary ventral hernia were included. The median (range) recurrence rates after laparoscopic groin hernia repair for high, medium, and low-volume surgeons were 2.6% (2.3-3.0), 2.4% (0.7-4.6), and 4.2% (1.0-6.8), respectively. The median (range) recurrence rate after open groin hernia repair for high, medium, and low-volume surgeons were 2.1% (2.0-2.2), 1.7% (1.6-2.3), and 2.4% (2.2-5.0). The groin hernia recurrence rate seemed to increase when annual surgeon volume decreased below 25 cases/year. For primary ventral hernia, increased annual surgeon volume was associated with decreased reoperation rate. CONCLUSION: High-volume surgeons seemed to have lower rates of hernia recurrence after groin as well as primary ventral hernia repair and our data supports the need for centralization of groin hernia repair on individual surgeons.

Intraoperative handling of spermatic cord lipomas during inguinal hernia repair: a nationwide survey.

PURPOSE: Cord lipomas can clinically resemble groin hernias and missed cord lipomas can potentially result in persistent symptoms. However, no international guideline exists concerning the management of cord lipomas found during inguinal hernia surgery. This study aimed to gain insight into how surgeons typically manage cord lipomas found during inguinal hernia surgery. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all general surgeons in Denmark performing unsupervised laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair and Lichtenstein repair. The survey contained questions about demographic details and questions about how surgeons would handle cord lipomas. The questionnaire was created by the research team and face-validated on general surgeons. RESULTS: A total of 58 surgeons (60%) responded to the questionnaire. The majority agreed that cord lipomas should not be left untouched. During laparoscopic repairs, 53% of the surgeons recommended that cord lipomas should be resected and removed if the anatomical circumstances allowed it. During Lichtenstein repair, the surgeons recommended that cord lipomas should always be resected and removed (49%) or that resection should depend on the size of the lipoma (44%). CONCLUSION: When asking surgeons about their preferred handling of cord lipomas, they answered that the management of cord lipomas found during inguinal hernia surgery depends on anatomical circumstances such as the pedicle appearance, the lipoma mobility, and its size. If the cord lipoma is left untouched, the patients' hernia resembling symptoms could persist, why the surgeons predominantly preferred to resect and remove cord lipomas.

Lower reoperation rates after open and laparoscopic groin hernia repair when performed by high-volume surgeons: a nationwide register-based study.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown a correlation between surgeons with high annual volume and better outcomes after various surgical procedures. However, the preexisting literature regarding groin hernia repair and annual surgeon volume is limited. The aim was to investigate how annual surgeon volume affected the reoperation rates for recurrence after primary groin hernia repair. METHODS: This nationwide cohort study was based on data from the Danish Hernia Database and the Danish Patient Safety Authority's Online Register. Patients ≥ 18 years undergoing laparoscopic or Lichtenstein primary groin hernia repair between November 2011 and January 2020 were included. Annual surgeon volume was divided into five categories: ≤ 10, 11-25, 26-50, 51-100, and > 100 cases/year. RESULTS: We included 25,262 groin hernia repairs performed in 23,088 patients. The risk of reoperation for recurrence after Lichtenstein repair was significantly higher for the volume categories of ≤ 10 (HR 4.02), 11-25 (HR 3.64), 26-50 (HR 3.93), or 51-100 (HR 4.30), compared with the > 100 category. The risk of reoperation for recurrence after laparoscopic repair was significantly increased for the volume categories of ≤ 10 (HR 1.89), 11-25 (HR 2.08), 26-50 (HR 1.80), and 51-100 (HR 1.58) compared with the > 100 category. CONCLUSION: The risk of reoperation for recurrence was significantly higher after Lichtenstein and laparoscopic repairs performed by surgeons with < 100 cases/year compared with > 100 cases/year. This indicates that higher surgeon volume minimizes the risk of reoperation for recurrence after groin hernia repair.

Mortality and Urological Complications After Open Groin Hernia Repair in Local, General, and Regional Anesthesia: A Nationwide Linked Register Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The choice of anesthesia method may influence mortality and postoperative urological complications after open groin hernia repair. We aimed to investigate the association between type of anesthesia and incidence of urinary retention, urethral stricture, prostate surgery, and 1-year mortality after open groin hernia repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were linked from the Danish Hernia Database, the national patient register, and the register of causes of death. We investigated data on male adult patients receiving open groin hernia repair from 1999 to 2013 with either local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, or general anesthesia. In relation to the type of anesthesia, we compared mortality and urological complications up to 1 year postoperatively. We adjusted for covariates in a logistic regression assessing urological complications and with the Cox regression assessing mortality. RESULTS: We included 113,069 open groin hernia repairs in local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, or general anesthesia. The risk of urinary retention adjusted for covariates was higher after both general anesthesia (adjusted odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-2.57, p = 0.031) and regional anesthesia (odds ratio = 2.99, 95% confidence interval = 1.67-5.34, p < 0.0005) compared with local anesthesia. The adjusted risk of prostate surgery was also higher for both general anesthesia (odds ratio = 1.58, 95% confidence interval = 1.23-2.03, p < 0.0005) and regional anesthesia (odds ratio = 1.90, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-2.58, p < 0.0005) compared with local anesthesia. Type of anesthesia did not influence 1-year mortality or the risk for urethral stricture. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing open groin hernia repair in local anesthesia experience the lowest rate of urological complications and have equally low mortality compared with patients undergoing repair in general anesthesia or regional anesthesia.

Imaging modalities for inguinal hernia diagnosis: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine which diagnostic modality [Computerized Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or ultrasound (US)] is more precise in terms of sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing inguinal hernia and sub-type of inguinal hernia (direct or indirect). METHODS: This systematic review was reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), and a search for relevant articles was undertaken in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were original studies that preoperatively diagnosed patients suspected of inguinal hernia by either CT, MRI, or US and compared diagnostic findings with operative findings or definitive follow-up. The main outcomes were the diagnostic certainty of inguinal hernia and type of hernia by sensitivity and specificity. All eligible studies were searched in the Retraction Watch database to ensure that all included studies were suitable for inclusion. RESULTS: Bubble charts depicting the size of each patient cohort and percentual range for both sensitivity and specificity showed that US was better than CT and MRI in diagnosing inguinal hernia. Bubble charts for US and CT depicted high values within the studies that reported sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing type of hernia. CONCLUSIONS: We found that US had the highest sensitivity and specificity. However, it must be taken into consideration that performance is highly dependent on the operator's level of expertise. Based on this systematic review, ultrasound may be the preferred imaging modality when physical examination is inconclusive, given that local expertise in performing US examination for hernia disease is adequate.

Network meta-analysis of urinary retention and mortality after Lichtenstein repair of inguinal hernia under local, regional or general anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Urinary retention and mortality after open repair of inguinal hernia may depend on the type of anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in urinary retention and mortality in adults after Lichtenstein repair under different types of anaesthesia. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted in the Cochrane, PubMed and Embase databases, with the last search on 1 August 2018. Eligible studies included adult patients having elective unilateral inguinal hernia repair by the Lichtenstein technique under local, regional or general anaesthesia. Outcomes were urinary retention and mortality, which were compared between the three types of anaesthesia using meta-analyses and a network meta-analysis. RESULTS: In total, 53 studies covering 11 683 patients were included. Crude rates of urinary retention were 0·1 (95 per cent c.i. 0 to 0·2) per cent for local anaesthesia, 8·6 (6·6 to 10·5) per cent for regional anaesthesia and 1·4 (0·6 to 2·2) per cent for general anaesthesia. No death related to the type of anaesthesia was reported. The network meta-analysis showed a higher risk of urinary retention after both regional (odds ratio (OR) 15·73, 95 per cent c.i. 5·85 to 42·32; P < 0·001) and general (OR 4·07, 1·07 to 15·48; P = 0·040) anaesthesia compared with local anaesthesia, and a higher risk after regional compared with general anaesthesia (OR 3·87, 1·10 to 13·60; P = 0·035). Meta-analyses showed a higher risk of urinary retention after regional compared with local anaesthesia (P < 0·001), but no difference between general and local anaesthesia (P = 0·08). CONCLUSION: Local or general anaesthesia had significantly lower risks of urinary retention than regional anaesthesia. Differences in mortality could not be assessed as there were no deaths after elective Lichtenstein repair. Registration number: CRD42018087115 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero).

ANTECEDENTES: La retención de orina y la mortalidad tras la reparación abierta de las hernias inguinales puede depender del tipo de anestesia. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar posibles diferencias en la retención de orina y mortalidad en adultos tras reparación de Lichtenstein bajo diferentes métodos anestésicos. MÉTODOS: Se efectuaron búsquedas sistemáticas en las bases de datos Cochrane, PubMed y Embase con la última revisión el 1 de agosto de 2018. Los estudios elegibles incluyeron pacientes adultos sometidos a reparación electiva de hernia inguinal unilateral mediante la técnica de Lichtenstein bajo anestesia local, regional o general. Las variables de resultados fueron la retención de orina y la mortalidad, comparándose los tres tipos de anestesia con metaanálisis y un metaanálisis en red. RESULTADOS: En total se incluyeron 53 estudios con un total de 11.683 pacientes. Las tasas crudas de retención de orina fueron del 0,1% (i.c. del 95% 0,0-0,2%) para la anestesia local, del 8,6% (i.c. del 95% 6,6-10,5%) para la anestesia regional y del 1,4% (i.c. del 95% 0,6-2,2%) para la anestesia general. No se observó mortalidad relacionada con el tipo de anestesia. El metaanálisis en red mostró un riesgo más elevado de retención de orina tras la anestesia regional (razón de oportunidades, odds ratio, OR 15,73 (i.c. del 95% 5,85-42,32), P < 0,001) y anestesia general (OR 4,07 (i.c. del 95% 1,07-15,48), P = 0,040) en comparación con la anestesia local y un riesgo más alto tras la regional en comparación con la anestesia general (OR 3,87 (i.c. del 95% 1,10-13,60), P = 0,035). Los metaanálisis mostraron un riesgo más alto de retención de orina tras la anestesia regional en comparación con la anestesia local (P < 0,001), pero sin diferencias entre anestesia general y local (P = 0,08). CONCLUSIÓN: La anestesia local o general presentaba un riesgo significativo menor de retención urinaria en comparación con la anestesia regional. Las diferencias en mortalidad no pudieron ser evaluadas ya ningún paciente falleció tras la reparación electiva de Lichtenstein.

High complication rates during and after repeated Lichtenstein or laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs in the same groin: a cohort study based on medical records.

PURPOSE: Performing two anterior or two posterior inguinal hernia repairs in the same groin contradict guidelines. Nevertheless, there can be indications for using the same approach at reoperation, and information on complications other than the risk of a third repair and chronic pain is lacking in the literature. The aim was to assess intraoperative events and postoperative complications after two Lichtenstein repairs or laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs in the same groin. METHODS: This nationwide cohort study included patients that had received two Lichtenstein repairs (Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein) or two laparoscopic (Laparoscopy-Laparoscopy) inguinal hernia repairs in the same groin. Patients were identified in the Danish Hernia Database and outcomes were identified in medical records during a period of 6 years. Outcomes were intraoperative events that deviated from a standard repair and 1-year postoperative complications classified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Outcomes were reported separately for the two cohorts. RESULTS: Among the included 102 Lichtenstein reoperations, 27% of the repairs had intraoperative events, with drain placement being most common (10%). Half of the reoperations resulted in complications where infection (15%) and hematoma (12%) were most frequent. Among the 58 laparoscopic reoperations, 16% had an intraoperative event where bleeding requiring clips was most common (10%). Half of the reoperations resulted in a complication with surgery in general anesthesia in the same groin area being the most frequent complication (9%). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative events and 1-year postoperative complications were high for both Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein and Laparoscopy-Laparoscopy, and the results therefore support guidelines that recommend another approach at reoperation.

Dealing with the round ligament of uterus in laparoscopic groin hernia repair: a nationwide survey among experienced surgeons.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to investigate how often a national cohort of experienced groin hernia surgeons transected the round ligament of uterus in laparoscopic groin hernia repair. Furthermore, we wished to explore the surgeons' personal opinions and knowledge on the function and importance of the ligament. METHODS: An electronic questionnaire was sent to all surgeons in Denmark performing laparoscopic groin hernia repair on a regular basis. The questionnaire consisted of demographic details, estimated incidence of transection of the round ligament of uterus, information about transection to the patients, documentation of transection in the medical records, and the surgeons' personal opinions and knowledge of the importance of the ligament. RESULTS: A total of 71 surgeons met our eligibility criteria and 61 (86%) provided complete responses. We estimated that the round ligament of uterus was transected in 395 of 813 (49%) herniorrhaphies during the past 12 months. Personal opinions and knowledge on the function of the ligament and the importance of preserving it varied greatly among the surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: Transection of the round ligament of uterus in laparoscopic groin hernia repair is common. The consequences of transecting the round ligament of uterus are not well described, and opinions and knowledge on the issue vary widely among experienced hernia surgeons.

Decreased re-operation rate for recurrence after defect closure in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with a permanent tack fixated mesh: a nationwide cohort study.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether defect closure in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair reduces the re-operation rate for recurrence compared with no defect closure. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Danish Ventral Hernia Database. Adults with an elective laparoscopic ventral hernia repair with tacks used as mesh fixation were included, if their first repair was between the 1st of January 2007 and the 1st of January 2017. Patients with defect closure were compared with no defect closure. Re-operation rates are presented as crude rates and cumulated adjusted re-operation rates. Sub-analyses assessed the effect of the suture material used during defect closure and also whether defect closure affected both primary and incisional hernias equally. RESULTS: Among patients with absorbable tacks as mesh fixation, 443 received defect closure and 532 did not. For patients with permanent tacks, 393 had defect closure and 442 did not. For patients with permanent tacks as mesh fixation, the crude re-operation rates were 3.6% with defect closure and 7.2% without defect closure (p = 0.02). The adjusted cumulated re-operation rate was significantly reduced with defect closure and permanent tacks (hazard ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = 0.28-0.999, p = 0.05). The sub-analysis suggested that defect closure was only beneficial for incisional hernias, and not primary hernias. We did not find any benefits of defect closure for patients with absorbable tacks as mesh fixation. CONCLUSION: This nationwide cohort study showed a reduced risk of re-operation for recurrence if defect closure was performed in addition to permanent tacks as mesh fixation during laparoscopic incisional hernia repair.

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of methods of mesh fixation during laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

BACKGROUND: Ventral hernia repairs are common and have high recurrence rates. They are usually repaired laparoscopically with an intraperitoneal mesh, which can be fixed in various ways. The aim was to evaluate the recurrence rates for the different fixation techniques. METHODS: This systematic review included studies with human adults with a ventral hernia repaired with an intraperitoneal onlay mesh. The outcome was recurrence at least 6 months after operation. Cohort studies with 50 or more participants and all RCTs were included. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched on 22 September 2016. RCTs were assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool and cohort studies with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Studies comparing fixation techniques were included in a network meta-analysis, which allowed comparison of more than two fixation techniques. RESULTS: Fifty-one studies with a total of 6553 participants were included. The overall crude recurrence rates with the various fixation techniques were: absorbable tacks, 17·5 per cent (2 treatment groups); absorbable tacks with sutures, 0·7 per cent (3); permanent tacks, 7·7 per cent (20); permanent tacks with sutures, 6·0 per cent (25); and sutures, 1·5 per cent (6). Six studies were included in a network meta-analysis, which favoured fixation with sutures. Although statistical significance was not achieved, there was a 93 per cent chance of sutures being better than one of the other methods. CONCLUSION: Both crude recurrence rates and the network meta-analysis favoured fixation with sutures during laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

Functions of the Magnaporthe oryzae Flb3p and Flb4p transcription factors in the regulation of conidiation.

The Magnaporthe oryzae genes FLB3 and FLB4, orthologues of the Aspergillus nidulans regulators of conidiation FlbC and FlbD, were inactivated. These genes encode C2H2 zinc finger and Myb-like transcription factors, respectively, in A. nidulans. Analysis of the resultant mutants demonstrated that FLB4 is essential for spore formation and that strains lacking this gene are fluffy in their colony morphology due to an inability to complete conidiophore formation. Meanwhile, FLB3 is required for normal levels of aerial mycelium formation. We identified genes dependent on both transcription factors using microarray analysis. This analysis revealed that the transcription of several genes encoding proteins implicated in sporulation in Magnaporthe oryzae and other filamentous fungi are affected by FLB3 or FLB4 inactivation. Furthermore, the microarray analysis indicates that Flb3p may effectively reprogramme the cell metabolically by repressing transcription of genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes and inducing transcription of genes encoding catabolic enzymes. Additionally, qRT-PCR was employed and showed that FLB3 and FLB4 transcripts are enriched in synchronously sporulating cultures, as were the transcripts of other genes that are necessary for normal conidiation, consistent with a role for their gene products in this process.

No difference in sexual dysfunction after transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach for inguinal hernia with fibrin sealant or tacks for mesh fixation.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative sexual dysfunction in relation to laparoscopic groin hernia surgery may be related to methods of mesh fixation. However, this has not been investigated earlier. Moreover, results regarding sexual dysfunction in females have not been reported systematically. The aim of this study was to compare fibrin sealant versus tacks for fixation of mesh regarding sexual dysfunction in males and females. METHODS: Using the Danish Hernia Database, patients operated laparoscopically for groin hernia with a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) procedure with fibrin sealant or tacks for mesh fixation were sent a questionnaire regarding sexual dysfunction. Sexually active patients without recurrence were evaluated in this study. RESULTS: Pain during sexual activity was present in 115 of 1019 (11.3 %) males and 17 of 147 (11.6 %) females. There was no difference between fibrin sealant and tacks for mesh fixation and no difference between genders. Pain intensity, characteristics and origin were comparable between fibrin sealant and tacks for both genders. We found a relationship between a higher rate of sexual dysfunction and lower age for both genders. CONCLUSION: We found no difference between fibrin sealant and tacks in pain during sexual activity or intensity of pain. However, younger age may be a risk factor for pain during sexual activity. Considering the high rate of postoperative sexual dysfunction, it is important to include this topic in the preoperative patient information.

Repair of recurrent hernia is often performed at a different clinic.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the extent of reoperations after hernia repair in Denmark that are being performed at a different facility than the primary repair and thereby investigate whether or not reoperation is a reliable basis for assessment of personal- or facility recurrence rates. METHODS: On a national level, we included all groin hernia repairs that had been reoperated a least once from January 1, 1998, to August 19, 2015. RESULTS: A total of 14,264 hernia repairs were included comprising a total of 7371 reoperations. We found that 26 % (n = 1883) of all reoperations were performed at a different healthcare facility. Time to reoperation, age at time of repair and having the primary repair performed at a private facility were all independent risk factors for being reoperated at a different facility in a logistic regression model. CONCLUSION: One in four patients underwent repair for recurrent hernia at a different facility than the prior repair. Having the primary repair performed at a private hospital increased the risk of being reoperated at a different facility compared to having it performed at a public facility. This indicates that personal or institutional reoperation rates are underestimating the true reoperation rates, unless they can be followed in central registries or personal contact is made to all patients.

Surgical approach for recurrent inguinal hernias: a Nationwide Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Guidelines recommend that the reoperation of a recurrent inguinal hernia should be by the opposite approach (anterior-posterior) than the primary repair. However, the level of evidence supporting the guidelines is partially low. The purpose of this study was to compare re-reoperation rates between repairs performed according to the guidelines with the ones performed against it. METHODS: This cohort study was based on the Danish Hernia Database, including 4344 patients with two inguinal hernia repairs in the same groin. Four groups were compared as follows: Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein vs. Lichtenstein-Laparoscopy, and Laparoscopy-Laparoscopy vs. Laparoscopy-Lichtenstein. The outcome was re-reoperation rates, which were compared by crude rates, cumulated rates, and hazard ratios. RESULTS: There was no difference in the re-reoperation rates when the primary repair was laparoscopic, regardless of the type of reoperation. However, Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein had a significantly higher re-reoperation rate compared with Lichtenstein-Laparoscopy (crude rate 8.7 vs. 3.1 %, p value <0.0005; Hazard Ratio 2.46, 95 % CI 1.76-3.43). Further analysis showed that the higher risk of re-reoperation for Lichtenstein-Lichtenstein was only seen if the primary hernia was medial. CONCLUSIONS: A primary Lichtenstein repair of a primary medial hernia should be reoperated with a laparoscopic repair. A primary Lichtenstein repair of a primary lateral hernia can be reoperated with either a Lichtenstein or a laparoscopic repair according to surgeon's choice. For a primary laparoscopic operation, the method of repair of a recurrent hernia did not affect the re-reoperation rate.

Recurrence mechanisms after inguinal hernia repair by the Onstep technique: a case series.

PURPOSE: Inguinal hernia repairs should have few complications and a short learning curve. A new operation called Onstep has promising results, but still some recurrences. The aim of the study was to find reasons for recurrence, by studying the re-operations. METHODS: The study is a case series, where 565 patients operated with Onstep at six hospitals between December 2011 and April 2015 were identified. If a recurrence had occurred, the description of the re-operation was studied and compared to the primary Onstep operation. RESULTS: We found 26 inguinal hernia recurrences, giving a recurrence rate of 4.6 %. The reasons for recurrence were a cranial displacement of the mesh in five patients, a caudal displacement in three patients, a folded mesh in one patient, and broken sutures in the mesh laterally in six patients. We found indications of a learning curve, since 70 % of the recurrences had their primary operation among the first half of the total Onstep procedures. Another finding was that 30 patients had complaints from the ring in the mesh, and most of these patients were slender. Fifteen patients have had the ring removed, and for six patients with a follow-up, the complaints have been reduced or disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: The main reasons for recurrence may be broken sutures in the mesh laterally or a suboptimal size of the opening in fascia transversalis medially, enabling the mesh to displace. Furthermore, the results suggest a learning curve. These findings may guide further improvement in the Onstep method for inguinal hernia repair.