DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2023.v11i08.011

Pages: 1453-1458

The aim was to study and analyse the results of surgical treatment of inguinal hernia in a community setting. We conducted a prospective descriptive study from 1st January 2021 to 31 December 2021 in the general surgery department of the Commune I referral health centre. A total of 74 patients underwent surgery for inguinal hernia. Inguinal hernia accounts for 6% of surgical consultations. Males were the most represented, with a sex ratio of 13.3; the mean age was 50.39, with extremes ranging from 18 to 86 years. Farmers, shopkeepers and workers accounted for 46%. In 40.5% of cases, patients consulted for inguinal swelling. Preoperatively, the hernia was complicated in 13.5% (10) of patients. Hernial strangulation was the main preoperative complication in 13.5% (10). Treatment was essentially surgical; local anaesthesia was used in 75.7% of our patients, general anaesthesia in 5.4% and locoregional in 18.9%. The Shouldice technique was used in 99% of cases, the operative follow-up was simple in 44.6%, and the presence of keloids in 1.4%. Conclusion: The Shouldice technique was the technique of choice for inguinal hernia repair in community settings in developing countries because of its results and its affordability compared with other techniques using medical devices.