Comparison of early postoperative pain in mesh fixation versus without fixation in open Lichtenstein mesh hernioplasty

Background & Objective: Inguinal hernia is a frequently encountered issue in surgical practice. Surgical techniques for hernia repair have significantly advanced and improved. The study objective was to compare early postoperative pain in mesh fixation versus without fixation in open Lichtenstein mesh hernioplasty regarding early postoperative pain. Methods: A randomized control trial was done at the Department of Surgery of the Federal Government Services Hospital, Islamabad from April to December 2023. Total 60 patients meeting the inclusion criteria and were presented with inguinal hernia. Randomly patients were divided into two groups, each consisting of 30 patients and were managed with Lichtenstein repair followed by either suture fixation for mesh or non-fixation of mesh. Patients from both groups were observed for 24-hours and early postoperative pain was recorded using visual analog scale (VAS). The data underwent analysis utilizing SPSS v 25. Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.0±9.2 years. Among 60 patients, 36 (60%) men and 24 (40%) women. The average BMI was 26.34±4.27 kg/m2. No significant difference was observed in postoperative pain between two groups (p ≥ 0.05). A t-test was utilized to compare the VAS score between two groups and it was observed the results insignificant except in patients with BMI less than 25 (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: There is no difference in occurrence of postoperative pain in fixed versus non-fixed mesh.