Comparative results of hernia repair from surgeons with different approaches at a tertiary medical center

Objective: At present, there is still no method that can be called the gold standard in hernia repair. The main objective of this study was to review the rates, including pain and recurrence, of the most important complications for patient dissatisfaction across different methods applied by different surgeons. Material and Methods: Four hundred twenty one patients who were operated on by three surgeons were retrospectively reviewed with respect to the main complications of pain and recurrence. Self-adhesive mesh and Lichtenstein repairs were performed by the same surgeon, whereas Bassini and transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repairs were performed by separate surgeons. Results: In all repair types, there were a significant difference between visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores on the first postoperative day compared to VAS scores at the one-month mark (p<0.001). The difference between VAS scores in the first month according to repair types was statistically significant (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between repair types and development of chronic pain (p<0.001). Recurrence rates also showed a statistically significant difference amongst repair types (p=0.001). Conclusion: Although the Lichtenstein and laparoscopic methods are superior in terms of recurrence compared to the Bassini method, chronic pain complications from the Bassini method appear to be acceptable