Outcomes
Hematoma, Chronic pain, pain, postoperative seroma, seroma, hematoma, trauma
HEMATOMA, RECURRENCE, SECONDARY, SEROMA, CHRONIC PAIN, HEMATOMA
The primary outcome criterion was foreign body sensation assessed by the patient’s judgment regarding the question “Do you feel the mesh at rest?” at the 12-month follow-up visit. To exclude foreign body sensation related to surgical trauma, foreign body sensation was defined as a persistence of a minimum of 3 months. The analysis of the outcome was based on the time until the first occurrence of foreign body sensation within the first year after surgery. It is further specified by the question of whether the foreign body sensation was distracting and interfered with quality of life. The secondary endpoint criteria were the occurrence of postoperative seroma within 24 months, hematoma at the 5-day visit, hematoma requiring surgery at the 5-day visit, and chronic pain as well as recurrence after 24 months. Hematoma and seroma dimensions were determined by b-mode ultrasound. Chronic pain was evaluated by a questionnaire containing questions related to the time point, character, localization, and trigger of pain. A quantitative assessment of chronic pain was performed using a visual analog scale (VAS, scale: 0–10). Quality of life was investigated by the SF-36