Results of postoperative clinical examination of inguinal hernia after three years.

Of 285 consecutively operated inguinal hernias in 274 patients 87.4% were clinically examined after three years by two independent investigators. The operations were performed by several surgeons in a small community hospital. All patients were adults. The total reucrrence rate was 10.4%, but if only symptomatic recurrences were included, the recurrence rate was 5.2%. No recurrences were seen in women. Total recurrence rates were in men for lateral hernias 7.7%, medial hernias 11.8% and for recurrent hernia 18.4%. When only symptomatic recurrences in men were taken into account the corresponding figures were 2.4%, 7.8% and 13.2% respectively. Simultaneous bilateral operation seemed to increase the risk of recurrence, while bilateral hernia disease per se did not increase the recurrence rate. The total complication rate was 2.4% and there was no mortality.