Accuracy of the ultrasound examination in patients with inguinal hernia

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of inguinal hernia in the preoperative period of patients submitted to inguinal herniorrhaphy. Methods: we conducted a retrospective, descriptive, analytical study, based on data obtained from the charts of patients submitted to inguinal herniorrhaphy between January 2016 and December 2017 and who underwent ultrasonography in the preoperative period. The sample consisted of 232 patients, and we compared the results of the ultrasonography with the complaints, physical examination and intraoperative findings. Results: ultrasonography was in agreement with inguinal hernia complaint in 52% of patients (p=0.019). There was a disagreement between the percentage of patients who presented a hernia at the physical examination not confirmed by the ultrasound examination (28.57%) and the percentage of hernias identified only by the complementary examination (8.93%), with statistical significance (p=0.0291). When comparing the ultrasound findings with the intraoperative ones, 32.70% of patients presenting with hernia had normal ultrasonography, with statistical significance for discordance (p=0.001). Conclusion: ultrasound was an unreliable method to help diagnosis in dubious cases of inguinal hernia, and dispensable when the diagnosis was confirmed by typical complaints and compatible physical examination.