Effectiveness of multiple neurectomies to prevent chronic groin pain after tension-free hernia repair.

The question of which nerve--the ilioinguinal or the iliohypogastric--most often causes chronic groin pain after hernia repair remains to be answered. We sought to evaluate the effects of prophylactic neurectomies on the incidence of persistent groin pain after Lichtenstein repair. Two hundred forty patients were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: the all-nerve preservation group, the ilioinguinal neurectomy group, the iliohypogastric neurectomy group, and the neurectomies group.