Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study sample
| Characteristic | Group, no. (%)* | |
|---|---|---|
| Laparoscopy, n = 126 | Open mesh, n = 242 | |
| Male sex | 122 (96.8) | 219 (90.5) |
| Age (mean ± SD), yr | 55.9 ± 12.4 | 59.5 ± 14.2 |
| Weight (mean ± SD), kg | 75.5 ± 9.2 | 74.5 ± 11.4 |
| Height (mean ± SD), cm | 174.7 ± 6.4 | 172.5 ± 7.8 |
| Body mass index (mean ± SD) | 24.7 ± 2.7 | 25.0 ± 3.4 |
| Recruiting centre | ||
| HR-1 | 23 (18.3) | 10 (4.1) |
| HR-2 | 0 (0) | 18 (7.4) |
| HR-3 | 0 (0) | 26 (10.7) |
| HR-4 | 0 (0) | 44 (18.2) |
| HR-5 | 10 (7.9) | 0 (0) |
| HR-6 | 0 (0) | 3 (1.2) |
| HR-7 | 44 (34.9) | 1 (0.4) |
| HR-8 | 0 (0) | 82 (33.9) |
| HR-9 | 0 (0) | 44 (18.2) |
| HR-10 | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.4) |
| HR-11 | 2 (1.6) | 0 (0) |
| HR-12 | 0 (0) | 3 (1.2) |
| HR-13 | 46 (36.5) | 0 (0) |
| HR-14 | 0 (0) | 10 (4.1) |
| Catastrophizing Pain Score (preoperative), median [IQR] | 9.5 [3–17] | 9 [3–18] |
| Preoperative pain | ||
| No pain | 46 (36.5) | 86 (35.5) |
| Elsewhere | 18 (14.3) | 35 (14.5) |
| Unknown location | 24 (19.0) | 44 (18.2) |
| Close to the site of surgery | 33 (26.2) | 74 (30.6) |
| At the site of surgery | 5 (4.0) | 74 (30.6) |
| History of peripheral neuropathy | 30 (23.8) | 74 (30.6) |
| Putative neurotoxic condition | 3 (2.4) | 34 (14.0) |
| Perioperative outcomes | ||
| General anesthesia | 124 (98.4) | 185 (76.4) |
| Intraoperative use of systemic opioids | 124 (98.4) | 180 (74.4) |
| Locoregional anesthesia | ||
| None | 109 (86.5) | 79 (32.6) |
| Postoperative only | 12 (9.5) | 11 (4.5) |
| Peroperative only | 5 (4.0) | 106 (43.8) |
| Peri- and postoperative | 0 (0) | 46 (19.0) |
| Perioperative use of ketamine | 80 (63.5) | 50 (20.7) |
| Postoperative complication | 5 (4.0) | 10 (4.1) |
| Persistent pain at 3 mo† | ||
| All cases | 29 (21.0) | 55 (21.7) |
| Positive response to DN4 | 4 (2.9) | 29 (11.4) |
| Pain score (VAS out of 10), median [IQR] | ||
| DN4 (−) | 2.3 [1.6 – 2.9] | 1 [0.8 – 2.5] |
| DN4 (+) | Missing data§ | 2.4 [1.5 – 3.2] |
| Persistent pain at 6 mo‡ | ||
| All cases | 18 (14.0) | 60 (18.3) |
| Positive response to DN4 | 1 (0.8) | 26 (7.9) |
| Pain score (VAS out of 10), median [IQR] | ||
| DN4 (−) | 1.5 [0.8 – 2.1] | 1.1 [0.6 – 1.9] |
| DN4 (+) | Missing data¶ | 2.3 [1.4 – 5.1] |
| Report of persistent neuropathic pain, any time | 4 (3.2) | 30 (12.4) |
DN4 = DN4 diagnostic questionnaire; IQR = interquartile range; SD = standard deviation; VAS = visual analogue scale.
*
Unless otherwise indicated.
†
n = 138 in the laparoscopy group and n = 254 in the open mesh group.
‡
n = 128 in the laparoscopy group and n = 328 in the open mesh group.
§
The 3 available pain scores were 1.2, 2.2 and 2.4/10.
¶
The pain score was 10/10 for the only case.