14. Outcome Comparison of Scalpel Skin Incision Versus Electrosurgical in Treatment of Inguinal Hernia
Haseeb Ahmad1, Muhammad Waqid Bin Abdullah1, Syed Muhammad Talha Bukhari2, Afzaal Baig1, Roshan Butt1 and Zubair Ahmad1,
ABSTRACT
Objective: To compare the outcomes of scalpel and electrosurgical skin incision in treatment of inguinal hernia.
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Surgery, Services Institute of medical sciences, Lahore from January 2020 to July 2022.
Methods: A total of 270 male patients aging between 15 to 80 years planned for unilateral inguinal hernioplasty were divided in to 2 equal groups of 135 patients each. In Group A patients were treated with electrosurgical skin incision while in Group B patients were treated with scalpel skin incision. The primary outcomes were set as postoperative pain, as assessed on visual analogue scale, at 24-hours after the procedure and incidence of hematoma as assessed on day 7 after the surgery.
Results: The Mean±SD of age in this study was 47.45±18.93 years with an age range of 15 to 80 years. The results of primary outcomes of the study show that the mean postoperative pain after 24-hour of procedure was significantly less in Group a compared to Group B (3.37 ± 1.81 Vs 4.43 ± 1.94, p-value = 0.00). Similarly, the frequency of hematoma was significantly lower in Group A compared to Group B (5.92% Vs 19.25%, p=0.00).
Conclusion: Electrosurgical skin incision provides significantly better outcomes in terms of lesser postoperative pain and lower incidence of hematoma in patients undergoing inguinal hernioplasty.
Key Words: Electrosurgical skin incision, Inguinal hernia, scalpel skin incision.