Open AccessFollow‐up after inguinal hernia repair. Questionnaire compared with physical examination: a prospective study in 299 patients
Author(s) -
Vos Patrick M.,
Simons Maarten P.,
Luitse Jan S. K.,
van Geldere Dick,
Koelemaij Mark J. W.,
Obertop Huug
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-9271
pISSN - 1102-4151
DOI - 10.1080/110241598750005903
Subject(s) - medicine , physical examination , inguinal hernia , hernia , prospective cohort study , surgery , general surgery
Objective: To assess the value of a written questionnaire in the follow‐up of patients after inguinal hernia repair. Design: Prospective study. Setting: University and two district hospitals, The Netherlands. Subjects: 314 patients with 362 inguinal hernias. Main outcome measures: Correlation between answers to questionnaire and clinical examination in the diagnosis of recurrent hernias. Results: 13/24 recurrences (54%) after a mean follow‐up of 33 months with a follow‐up rate of 93% were not diagnosed by the questionnaire. Conclusion: Follow‐up after hernia repair must be by physical examination. Copyright © 1998 Taylor and Francis Ltd.