Abstract
Purpose: Inguinal hernia is a known complication after radical prostatectomy. Because radical prostatectomy is being performed more frequently, this complication cannot be overlooked. This study investigated the clinical features of inguinal hernia after radical prostatectomy and the appropriate procedures for hernia repair. Methods: Subjects consisted of 611 adult male patients with inguinal hernia (673 hernias) who underwent initial radical surgery between 2003 and 2014. A comparative analysis was performed after dividing subjects into a group with a history of undergoing radical prostatectomy (case group; n=36, 47 hernias) and a group with no such history (control group; n=575, 626 hernias). Results: Of the 251 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, 36 (14%) developed postoperative inguinal hernias. Inguinal hernia incidence was 17% after retroperitoneal laparoscopic prostatectomy and 9% after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. Bilateral inguinal hernia occurred in 11 patients (30%) of the case group and 51 patients (9%) of the control group. All 47 inguinal hernias of patients in the case group were indirect inguinal hernias. The mesh plug method was used for the repair of 44 inguinal hernias (94%) in the case group. Postoperative seroma developed in one patient in the case group, but there were no cases of recurrence. Conclusions: Bilateral inguinal hernia is common after radical prostatectomy, with all such patients developing indirect inguinal hernias in the present study. Our results suggested that the mesh plug method is a good technique for the repair of inguinal hernias after radical prostatectomy.
