Long-Term Patient-Reported Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Ventral Primary or Incisional Hernia Repair
- 1Northern Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- 2Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- 3Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2065, Australia
Abstract
Background: Long-term quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes after ventral primary and incisional hernia repair are underreported, especially beyond the early postoperative period. This cross-sectional study evaluated postoperative functional status, mental health and overall satisfaction using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at least five years after ventral hernia surgery. Methods: Four separate PROM assessment tools were used to assess long-term outcomes in patients who underwent ventral hernia repair between 2009 and 2014. Two subgroup analyses were performed, categorizing patients by recalled preoperative pain and Ventral Hernia Working Group risk classification (low-risk Grade 1/2 vs. high-risk Grade 3/4), based on wound contamination and comorbidities at the time of surgery. Results: Eighty-seven patients were assessed with a median follow-up of eight years (range 6–11) from the time of surgery to survey completion. Patients with Grade 3/4 hernias (18%, 16/87) reported significantly worse QOL outcomes across multiple PROMs than those in the Grade 1/2 group (82%, 71/87), including social functioning (p = 0.010), pain (p = 0.013), general health (p = 0.007), and cosmetic discomfort (p = 0.018). Patients with moderate to severe preoperative pain (53%, 46/87) were more likely to experience long-term postoperative pain (p = 0.02) and worse social functioning (p = 0.004) compared with patients with minimal or no preoperative pain (47%, 41/87). Conclusions: Overall, many patients had favorable long-term patient-reported QOL outcomes following ventral primary and incisional hernia repair. Patients with high-risk, complex hernias and those with moderate-to-severe recalled preoperative pain experienced more pain and worse overall health at long-term follow-up than those with low-risk hernias and those with minimal or no recalled preoperative pain.
Related
- The Effect of Oral Isotretinoin on Quality of Life in Patients With Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Early Patient-Reported Outcomes and Graft-Versus-Host Disease as Indicators of Long-Term Quality of Life and Fatigue After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A 24-Month Prospective Study
- Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Outcomes During First-Line Chemotherapy in Older Patients with De Novo Metastatic Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.
- Patient-Reported Trajectories After Intestinal Stoma Formation: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Stoma-Related Outcomes and Global Quality of Life
- Prophylactic closed-incision negative pressure wound therapy for open ventral incisional hernia repair with mesh: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
BibTeX
@article{he2026longterm,
title = {{Long-Term Patient-Reported Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Ventral Primary or Incisional Hernia Repair}},
author = {Tara K. He and Joanna M. Z. Mills and Nazim Bhimani and Anthony R. Glover and Thomas J. Hugh},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15207970},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7970},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Long-Term Patient-Reported Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Ventral Primary or Incisional Hernia Repair
AU - Tara K. He
AU - Joanna M. Z. Mills
AU - Nazim Bhimani
AU - Anthony R. Glover
AU - Thomas J. Hugh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15207970
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/7970
AB - Background: Long-term quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes after ventral primary and incisional hernia repair are underreported, especially beyond the early postoperative period. This cross-sectional study evaluated postoperative functional status, mental health and overall satisfaction using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at least five years after ventral hernia surgery. Methods: Four separate PROM assessment tools were used to assess long-term outcomes in patients who underwent ventral hernia repair between 2009 and 2014. Two subgroup analyses were performed, categorizing patients by recalled preoperative pain and Ventral Hernia Working Group risk classification (low-risk Grade 1/2 vs. high-risk Grade 3/4), based on wound contamination and comorbidities at the time of surgery. Results: Eighty-seven patients were assessed with a median follow-up of eight years (range 6–11) from the time of surgery to survey completion. Patients with Grade 3/4 hernias (18%, 16/87) reported significantly worse QOL outcomes across multiple PROMs than those in the Grade 1/2 group (82%, 71/87), including social functioning (p = 0.010), pain (p = 0.013), general health (p = 0.007), and cosmetic discomfort (p = 0.018). Patients with moderate to severe preoperative pain (53%, 46/87) were more likely to experience long-term postoperative pain (p = 0.02) and worse social functioning (p = 0.004) compared with patients with minimal or no preoperative pain (47%, 41/87). Conclusions: Overall, many patients had favorable long-term patient-reported QOL outcomes following ventral primary and incisional hernia repair. Patients with high-risk, complex hernias and those with moderate-to-severe recalled preoperative pain experienced more pain and worse overall health at long-term follow-up than those with low-risk hernias and those with minimal or no recalled preoperative pain.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -