Herniography in the diagnosis of obscure groin pain.

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 151  (8) , 663-7
Abstract
Obscure groin pain was investigated in 250 consecutive patients (including 171 males) with no palpable hernia or previous hernia operation. Herniography revealed nonpalpable but symptomatic hernia in 51% of the male and 21% of the female patients. Among the hernia patients with bilateral pain, 40% had unilateral hernia. Direct-type hernia was most commonly found. Of the surgically treated patients, 87% were free from groin pain postoperatively. Further clinical investigations with a broad diagnostic approach gave a treatable diagnosis in 70% of the patients without hernia surgery. Spontaneous improvement occurred during the investigation in 25%, and the cause of groin pain remained unclear in 5% of the patients. Herniography is a valuable diagnostic tool in obscure groin pain and its use is justified at an early stage of investigation. "Blind" exploration can thus be avoided.

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