Bilaterality of Inguinal Hernia in Adult Patients: Synchronous Bilateral and Metachronous Contralateral Hernia

Abstract

Purpose: We are to describe the incidence and accordance rate of hernia type in synchronous bilateral and metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 625 adult patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair by a single surgeon at our institute between November 2001 and October 2008. We divided the patients into 3 groups; Synchronous bilateral inguinal hernia group (SH), Metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia group (MH) and Unilateral inguinal hernia group (UH) and analyzed patients’ general clinical features and outcomes. Results: Male patients numbered 578 (92.5%) and female patients numbered 47 (7.5%), so the male to female ratio was 12.3：1. Each number of SH and MH were 49 (7.8%) and 59 (9.4%). In MH, the mean interval of counterlateral hernia development following ipsilateral hernia repair was 8.9 years and 20 (33.9%) were developed in a 3-year period. And the incidence of right hernia development after repair of left hernia predominated over left hernia development after repair of right hernia by a ratio of 1.27：1. Accordance rate of hernia type in both sides was 83.8% in SH and 91.2% in MH. Conclusion: The incidence of SH and MH were each 7.8% and 9.4% and accordance rate of hernia type is very high in SH and MH. In MH, many patients (33.9%) developed in 3 years after ipsilateral hernia repair. In this study, patients have high accordance rate of hernia type in both sides and indirect type is dominant, especially in MH.