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Abstract Introduction Minimally invasive inguinal hernia repair results in 6–12% of patients experiencing chronic pain. The mesh can constitute the root of the problem. Literature concerning laparoscopic mesh removal is scarce. A recently published study has demonstrated feasibility and safety of this technique. However, little is known about hernia recurrences after laparoscopic mesh removal. This observational study aims to describe the rate of hernia recurrence following laparoscopic mesh removal in patients with chronic postoperative inguinal pain (CPIP) after preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair and reports the effect of the intervention on pain. Methods A retrospective study of prospectively collected questionnaires and operative findings was conducted. The patient population constitutes of eighty-nine consecutive patients undergoing a laparoscopic mesh removal for CPIP between November 2011 and July 2022. Hernia recurrence was based on anamnestic and clinical findings. Pain scores were quantified using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS). Results Eighty-three patients were included in the present study (median age 57 years). We noted a hernia recurrence in eighteen patients (21.7%). Intraoperative findings concerning mesh conformation were also reported. Median pain scores dropped significantly from 7 to 3 (p 0.05). Conclusion This retrospective study shows that laparoscopic mesh removal for CPIP following preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair results in an inguinal hernia recurrence in 1 out of 5 patients. Patients should be well-informed preoperatively about this finding. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study describing hernia recurrence risk after laparoscopic mesh removal.
Chaoui et al. (Wed,) studied this question.