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| |  Patients With Umbilical Hernia Pain Benefit From Surgery: Presented at ACS By Jill Stein CHICAGO -- October 13, 2009 -- Repair of umbilical hernias improves and often completely eradicates hernia-related pain, researchers announced here October 12 at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 95th Annual Clinical Congress. Anne T. Saladyga, MD, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, presented results in 155 patients who completed questionnaires following open surgical repair of their umbilical hernia. Pain is a common reason why patients with umbilical hernias are referred to a surgeon for repair, Dr. Saladyga pointed out. Patients frequently report significant pain, particularly active duty soldiers who engage in rigorous abdominal workouts or who have demanding job duties. In some patients, pain is so severe that patients are unable to perform essential work tasks. She also noted that it may be difficult for soldiers to find time to undergo surgery, and, as a result, they want to be assured that their umbilical hernia pain will improve after repair of their hernia before deciding definitively to undergo the procedure. There are limited data about postoperative pain that makes it difficult to “adequately counsel” patients who are considering an umbilical hernia repair, she added. Instead, physicians have to rely on anecdotal evidence. In the study, patients rated their pain associated with their umbilical hernia on a scale of 0 to 3, where 0 referred to a complete absence of pain and 3 denoted severe pain. The time from umbilical repair to survey completion ranged from 4 months to 8 years, with a median follow-up time of 51 months. Results showed a significant reduction in pain scores following surgery for the overall patient population (median pre- vs postoperative pain: 1.09 vs 0.56; P < .001) Pain significantly improved at 6 months postoperatively for all activities (P < .001) and for every activity across all 3 time points -- preoperative, postoperative, and current pain (P < .001). About two-thirds of patients had symptomatic umbilical hernias with pain before surgery. Pain associated with umbilical hernia decreases significantly after surgery (P < .001). Nearly 90% of patients had improvement or a complete resolution of their pain after surgery. Overall, 35 patients had chronic pain 1 to 8 years after umbilical hernia repair, however their overall median pain scores decreased significantly over time. Dr. Saladyga recommends prospective studies to further assess the effect of surgery on umbilical hernia pain. [Presentation title: Umbilical Hernia Pain Improves With Surgical Repair. Abstract SE148-M]
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