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Chronic pain and quality of life after inguinal hernia repair using the COMI-hernia score

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Abstract

Purpose

The Core Outcome Measure Index (COMI) is a brief and multidimensional, patient-orientated outcome questionnaire that assesses chronic pain and quality of life after groin hernia repair. The primary aim of this study was to prospectively assess the COMI-hernia score, over an extended period of time in a single large cohort of patients.

Methods

Two hundred and twenty-eight male patients with inguinal hernia repair were included in the present study. Patients were recruited prospectively with an average follow-up of 3 years.

Results

COMI-hernia total and the COMI-hernia pain scores were significantly lower following surgery and remained unchanged over time. Young patients’ age (p = 0.043), high preoperative COMI-hernia total score (p = 0.018), and bilateral hernias (p = 0.035) were identified as independent risk factors for adverse outcome after groin hernia repair. Both COMI-hernia total and the COMI-hernia pain scores significantly (p < 2.2*10−16 and p < 1.638*10−11) correlated with patient’s satisfaction.

Conclusions

The COMI score reflects a reliable tool to assess the outcome following groin hernia repair.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Angela Munson for language editing of the manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

RFS conceptualised and designed the study, acquired the data and drafted the manuscript. RNV helped to draft the manuscript and analyse and interpret the data. LF contributed in analysis and interpretation of data. CS helped to draft the manuscript and critically revise the manuscript. PV helped to critically revise the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, Cantonal Hospital Winterthur, Brauerstrasse 15, 8401, Winterthur, Switzerland

    Ralph Fabian Staerkle, Raphael Nicolas Vuille-dit-Bille & Christopher Soll

  2. Department of Surgery, Cantonal Hospital Graubuenden, Loëstrasse 170, 7000, Chur, Switzerland

    Ralph Fabian Staerkle & Peter Villiger

  3. Mathematic Faculty, Cantonal School of Wil, Hubstrasse 75, 9501, Wil, Switzerland

    Lukas Fink

Authors
  1. Ralph Fabian Staerkle
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  2. Raphael Nicolas Vuille-dit-Bille
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  4. Christopher Soll
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  5. Peter Villiger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralph Fabian Staerkle.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendix. COMI-hernia

Appendix. COMI-hernia

Pre-operative questionnaire

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Staerkle, R.F., Vuille-dit-Bille, R.N., Fink, L. et al. Chronic pain and quality of life after inguinal hernia repair using the COMI-hernia score. Langenbecks Arch Surg 402, 935–947 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-017-1592-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-017-1592-7

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