Frequency of Seroma and Associated Factors after Inguinal Hernioplasty: A Brief Report

Seroma formation is one of the most common complications of hernioplasty surgery. Identifying the factors associated with seroma is useful to prevent this complication. The present study aimed at investigating the frequency of seroma and related demographic and clinical factors after inguinal hernioplasty.

This cross-sectional study was performed in 130 patients with primary inguinal hernia who underwent inguinal hernioplasty using mesh in Rasht Poursina Hospital, 2019. Any accumulation of fluid at/around the surgical site that caused obvious bulging and discomfort, pain, and heaviness that required needle aspiration was considered to be seroma. The frequency of seroma was assessed at 24 hours, one week, and one month after the surgery. Demographic and clinical variables were assessed by oral questioning and reviewing the medical files. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS V20.

Seroma was seen in 5 (3.8%) (95% CI: 1%-7%), 8 (6.2%) (95% CI: 2%-10%), and 7 patients (5.4%) (95% CI: 1.3%-8.7%) at 24 hours, one week, and one month after the surgery, respectively.

Similar descriptive studies including larger sample size and experimental studies are needed to accurately investigate the relationship between demographic and clinical factors and the incidence of seroma after hernioplasty surgery. Also, assessing the effectiveness of various surgical techniques is of great help in preventing this complication.