Aetiology, Pathogenesis and Assessment of Chronic Pain After Inguinal Hernia Repair

Abstract

Chronic postoperative inguinal pain, abbreviated as CPIP, is currently the most invalidating complication of inguinal hernia repair and often leads to an inability to normally participate in society. It is the most costly adverse event of inguinal hernia surgery and poses a major health issue [1, 2]. CPIP is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) as ‘pain beyond three months after inguinal hernia surgery’ [3]. Others have suggested to extend this period to 6 months, allowing inflammatory mesh-based responses to decrease [4].