Abstract
Objective: To find out the prevalence of symptomatic non-palpable groin hernias in women under 40 years old with undiagnosed chronic groin pain.
Design: Retrospective analysis.
Setting: University hospital, Sweden.
Subjects: 116 women 14-39 years old (mean 27) with chronic undiagnosed groin pain who underwent herniography 1977-1994.
Interventions: Intraperitoneal injection of 80 ml iodine contrast medium (200 mg I/ml)
Results: Hernias were found in 28 patients (24%): 17 in the right groin alone, 6 in the left groin alone and 5 bilaterally. 19 patients had hernias on the symptomatic side only. 17 patients had indirect inguinal hernias and 7 had direct inguinal hernias (which are claimed to be extremely rare in women).
Conclusion: A hernia is a relatively common finding during herniography in young women with groin pain.