Health-related quality of life after TAPP repair for the sportsmen's groin.
BACKGROUND
Sportsmen's groin (SG) is a clinical diagnosis of chronic, painful musculotendinous injury to the medial inguinal floor in the absence of a groin hernia. Long-term results for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, especially data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), are scant and there are no available data whatsoever on HRQOL after SG. The main goal of this study was to compare postoperative QOL data in the long term after transabdominal preperitoneal hernioplasty (TAPP) in groin hernia and SG patients with QOL data of a normal population.


METHODS
This study included all patients (n = 559) who underwent TAPP repair between 2000 and 2005. Forty seven patients (8.4 %) were operated on for SG. We sent out the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire for QOL evaluation. QOL data were compared with data from an age- and sex-matched normal population.


RESULTS
Ultimately, 383 completed questionnaires were available for evaluation (69 % response rate). The mean follow-up time was 94 ± 20 months. In the SG group there were statistically significant differences in three subscales of the SF-36 and the mental component summary measure, showing better results for the SG group compared to the sex- and age-matched normal group data. There were no statistically significant differences between groin hernia patients and the sex- and age-matched normal population.


CONCLUSIONS
TAPP repair for SG as well as groin hernia results in good HRQOL in the long term. Results for SG patients are comparable with QOL data of a normal population or even better.
Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Gerwin A
GA
Bernhardt
Gerald
G
Gruber
Benjamin S
BS
Molderings
Herwig
H
Cerwenka
Mathias
M
Glehr
Christian
C
Giessauf
Peter
P
Kornprat
Andreas
A
Leithner
Hans-Jörg
HJ
Mischinger
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery*; D059685:Herniorrhaphy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors