Inguinal herniorrhaphy in women

Inguinal hernias in women are relatively rare, and an outcome in this specific subgroup of hernias has not been documented in the literature. An analysis was performed using data from the prospective recording of 3,696 female inguinal hernia repairs in the national Danish hernia database, in the 5.5 year period from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2003, where observation time specific reoperation rates were used as a proxy for recurrence. In the 3,696 female inguinal herniorrhaphies recorded, the overall reoperation rate was 4.3%, which is slightly higher compared to male inguinal herniorrhaphies (3.1%) (P=0.001). The reoperation rate was independent of the type of surgical repair. In 41.5% of the reoperations a femoral hernia was found, compared to 5.4% in males. Female inguinal herniorrhaphy is followed by a higher reoperation rate than in males, and is unrelated to the type of repair. The frequent finding of a femoral hernia at reoperation suggests the need for the exploration of the femoral canal at the primary operation.