Risk of recurrence 5 years or more after primary Lichtenstein mesh and sutured inguinal hernia repair (Br J Surg 2007; 94: 1038-1040).

摘要

With great interest we read the paper of Dr. Bisgaard et al. in this journal. At first sight, this study adds further support to the idea that the Lichtenstein open mesh repair of inguinal hernia is superior to the sutured repair techniques in a long-term follow-up. Based on a large nationwide collective of patients who underwent an open inguinal hernia repair with or without mesh between 1998 and 2005, the authors stated the clear superiority of die Lichenstein group regarding long-term recurrence rate. Now, after having read the paper several times very carefully there remain a few questions for us. Would the authors clarify the sentence (p. 1039) 'Late recurrences after open non-mesh repairs were more often performed for an indirect hernia (76-0 per cent) compared to 54-0 percent of those receiving a mesh repair (Table 1)? Table 1 shows the age medians of both groups. The numbers are listed as 51 years (18-97) in the sutured versus 58 years (18-99) in the mesh repair group. According to the statistics this age-difference is significant (P < 0-001).