Table 1.

Definitions of post-surgical pain and chronic postoperative inguinal pain

Chronic post-surgical pain	Chronic postoperative inguinal pain
1. The pain developed after a surgical procedure	1. Pain occurs after a herniotomy
2. The pain is of at least 2 months duration	2. Pain of at least 6 months duration
3. Other causes for pain should have been excluded (e.g. continuing malignancy or chronic infection)	3. Other causes of pain excluded
4. The possibility that the pain is continuing from a pre-existing problem has been explored, and exclusion attempted	4. Postoperative pain different from pre-operative pain (frequency, intensity, location, character)