title: A randomized controlled trial for inguinal hernia repair to compare the Shouldice and the Bassini-Kirschner operation.
abstract: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 142 adult male and female patients for primary inguinal hernias by the Shouldice or the Bassini-Kirschner surgical technique. Follow-up after one year revealed 7 recurrences out of 72 patients having had Bassini-Kirschner's operation and three recurrences out of 70 patients having had Shouldice's operation (p = 0.326, NS). Six patients died during the follow-up period and two were lost to the study. At two years follow-up examination nine recurrences out of 63 patients having had Bassini-Kirschner's operation and seven recurrences out of 65 patients having had Shouldice's operation were found (p = 0.792, NS). Both operations gave the same results when performed by either a consultant surgeon or a surgeon in training. The complication rate was high but similar for both techniques (18%). Although surgical literature abounds with excellent low recurrence rates using the Shouldice surgical technique, we were unable to reproduce these results. This might be due to lack of experience.
authors: Krankenhaus der Augustinerinnen, Chirurgische Abteilung, Cologne, Germany.
authors: V K
authors: VK
authors: Tran
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Pütz
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Rohde
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012008:Recurrence; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods