What is the likelihood of requiring contralateral inguinal hernia repair after unilateral repair?

Abstract Background Factors that predispose patients to the development of inguinal hernias will persist after repair. This study aimed to determine the incidence of future contralateral hernia repair. Methods We performed a retrospective review of a non-Medicare claims database (1999–2009) to identify patients billed for 2 asynchronous initial inguinal hernia repairs. Results In this database, 7,050 patients were followed up for a mean of 3.6 years, 272 patients required a contralateral hernia repair. The mean time between hernia repairs was 2.9 years and the same surgeon repaired both hernias in 67.6%. Fifteen patients had incarcerated contralateral hernias (5.5%). Patients who required contralateral repairs were older (62.2 vs 59.6 y; P = .014) and had prostate disease (odds ratio, 1.45; P = .0001). The risk of needing a contralateral inguinal hernia repair at 5 and 10 years of follow-up evaluation was 2.5% and 3.8%, respectively. Conclusions Despite a reported 8% to 22% incidence of clinically unsuspected contralateral inguinal hernia, the likelihood of undergoing contralateral repair within 10 years is low at 3.8%.