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Original ArticleOpen Access
Factors Influencing Loss to Follow-up after Elective Inguinal Herniorrhaphy
Lertsithichai P 
,
Pornchai S
,
Pornchai S Objective: To identify risk factors associated with losses to follow-up after inguinal herniorrhaphy and to examine whether
these factors are associated with higher risks for recurrence according to the literature.
Material and Method: Records of inguinal hernia patients who underwent elective inguinal herniorrhaphy between January
1998 and November 2006 were reviewed. Factors potentially associated with loss to follow-up included demographic
variables, type of hernia, predisposing factors, type of anesthesia, surgeon experience, type of repair, and early operative
complications. Loss to follow-up was defined as the absence of follow-up information three months after herniorrhaphy for
at least two years.
Results: There were 1,451 patients with 1,727 hernia operations. Of these, 981 operations (57%) were lost to follow-up. On
multivariable analysis, factors associated with loss to follow-up included younger age, male gender, secondary hernia, tissuebased
repair, indirect inguinal hernia, and no postoperative complications. Many of these factors were not known to be
associated with increased recurrence after hernia repair.
Conclusion: Hernia repairs lost to follow-up were systematically different from those not lost to follow-up, but factors related
to these losses were not clearly or uniformly associated with higher risks for recurrence according to the literature.
Keywords: Inguinal herniorrhaphy, Loss to follow-up, Risk factors, Recurrence
these factors are associated with higher risks for recurrence according to the literature.
Material and Method: Records of inguinal hernia patients who underwent elective inguinal herniorrhaphy between January
1998 and November 2006 were reviewed. Factors potentially associated with loss to follow-up included demographic
variables, type of hernia, predisposing factors, type of anesthesia, surgeon experience, type of repair, and early operative
complications. Loss to follow-up was defined as the absence of follow-up information three months after herniorrhaphy for
at least two years.
Results: There were 1,451 patients with 1,727 hernia operations. Of these, 981 operations (57%) were lost to follow-up. On
multivariable analysis, factors associated with loss to follow-up included younger age, male gender, secondary hernia, tissuebased
repair, indirect inguinal hernia, and no postoperative complications. Many of these factors were not known to be
associated with increased recurrence after hernia repair.
Conclusion: Hernia repairs lost to follow-up were systematically different from those not lost to follow-up, but factors related
to these losses were not clearly or uniformly associated with higher risks for recurrence according to the literature.
Keywords: Inguinal herniorrhaphy, Loss to follow-up, Risk factors, Recurrence
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