Table 3.
The VHPQ results for preoperative and long-term follow-up after repair.
| Questionnaire | Preoperative | Long term | Preoperative | Long term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesh (n = 29) |
Mesh (n = 28) |
Quill (n = 28) |
Quill (n = 24) |
|
| Pain right now ⩽1 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 23 |
| Pain right now >1 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Pain last week >1 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 1 |
| Difficulty rising from chair | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Difficulty sitting | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Difficulty standing | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Difficulty climbing stairs | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Difficulty driving a car | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Difficulty performing sports and physical activity | 11 | 5 | 14 | 3 |
VHPQ: Ventral Hernia Pain Questionnaire.
If patients graded their pain right now as ⩽1, the pain was considered easily ignored. Scorings higher than 1 constituted pain not easily ignored during everyday activities. They presented with symptoms, for example, swelling after eating or discomfort and weakness in the abdominal trunk. Other reported symptoms were tactile discomfort, muscle cramps during exercise, less stamina during physical exercise, and lower back pain.
“Pain last week” was significantly lower in both groups compared to preoperative values (preoperative vs long-term: mesh p = 0.009, Quill p = 0.003).