Post-Operative Groin Pain Following Open Hernioplasty with or without Ilioinguinal Neurectomy. A comparative study

Introduction: Prophylactic ilioinguinal nerve excision during mesh hernia repair is performed to reduce persistent postoperative groin pain. This study compares nerve excision versus preservation in Lichtenstein tension-free inguinal hernia repair. Methodology : A prospective comparative study was conducted on 50 patients undergoing elective open mesh hernia repair at Bir Hospital from September 2021 to March 2022. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group I (nerve preservation) and Group II (nerve excision). Pain was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Results: Each group included 25 patients. On postoperative day 7, moderate to severe pain was lower in the excision group (16%) compared to the preservation group (16%) with a lower mean pain score (2.12 vs. 2.76; p = 0.066). At one month, the excision group had fewer cases of moderate to severe pain (12% vs. 24%) and more pain-free patients (32% vs. 8%) with a lower mean score (1.44 vs. 2.44; p = 0.050). Conclusion : Ilioinguinal nerve excision during hernia repair reduced postoperative groin pain, especially moderate to severe pain, and increased the proportion of pain-free patients.