The Incidence of Chronic Postsurgical Pain After Inguinal Hernia Surgery: Association with the Acute Postsurgical Pain: A Preliminary Study Based on Questionnaires

Purpose: Chronic postsurgical pain （CPSP） is a major
issue associated with surgery. The primary aim of this
study was to define the incidence of CPSP after inguinal
hernia surgery. The secondary goals were to define risk
factors for the development of CPSP. Methods: We performed
a retrospective study analyzing inguinal hernia
patients after surgery. We investigated the presence or
absence of pain, the site of pain, and its intensity. Factors
such as sex, age, time of surgery, days of hospital
stay and the presence or absence of acute postsurgical
pain on the first postoperative day were compared between
patients with and without CPSP. Results: CPSP
occurred in 15 out of 49 patients. The median numerical
rating scale（ NRS）（ 0-10）, pain score for CPSP was
3 （1-8）. CPSP was significantly less in older patients.
NRS score for the acute postsurgical pain of patients
with CPSP was 3 （0-10）, but NRS score of patients
who did not produce CPSP was 1 （0-7）. Conclusions:
These results indicated that CPSP develops following
approximately 30% of inguinal hernia surgery cases. It
may be predicted by the intensity of acute postsurgical
pain on the first postoperative day.