Risk Factors Of Chronic Postoperative Pain After Inguinal Hernia Repair And The Relationship Between Preoperative Depression-anxiety: Observational Study;

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence and risk factors associated with chronic postoperative pain after inguinal hernia repair and to ob-serve the relationship between preoperative depression/anxiety and chronic postoperative pain. Material and Methods: Between June 2021 and De-cember 2022, two hundred and sixty patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair were enrolled in the study. Preoperative chronic pain and chronic postoperative pain were assessed with visual analogue scale, and the pa-tients' results were recorded in the third and sixth months. Depression and anxiety assessments were made using the Beck Depression and Beck Anxiety Inventory before the operation. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative details were recorded and the relationship with chronic postoperative pain was statistically analysed. Results: Pain persisted in 22.3% of the patients at the postoperative 3rd month and 12.3% of the patients at the 6th month. Preoperative pain was present in 56.53% of the pa-tients, and chronic pain developed in 39.4%. A statistically significant relationship was found between preoperative chronic pain, postoperative analgesic use, duration of pain, female gender, reoperation, postoperative complication, and chronic postoperative pain (p<0.001). Chronic postoperative pain developed in 21 of 24 patients who underwent recurrent opera-tions. The pain was in neuropathic character in 53.4% of the patients. A significant correlation was observed between preoperative anxiety/depres-sion and chronic pain (p<0.001). Conclusion: Preoperative pain, the severity of postoperative acute pain, and reoperation should be questioned preoperatively, and adequate pain palliation should be provided to prevent chronic postoperative pain. In addition, the psychological state significantly affects the development of chronic postoperative pain. © 2024 by Türkiye Klinikleri.