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.