Follow-up after inguinal hernia repair. Questionnaire compared with physical examination: a prospective study in 299 patients.

Objective: To assess the value of a written questionnaire in the follow-up of patients after inguinal hernia repair. Design: Prospective study. Setting: University and two district hospitals, The Netherlands. Subjects: 314 patients with 362 inguinal hernias. Main outcome measures: Correlation between answers to questionnaire and clinical examination in the diagnosis of recurrent hernias. Results: 13/24 recurrences (54%) after a mean follow-up of 33 months with a follow-up rate of 93% were not diagnosed by the questionnaire. Conclusion: Follow-up after hernia repair must be by physical examination.