Status of groin hernia repair in Japan: analysis of the 2024 annual report from the National Clinical Database.

PURPOSE: To analyze the data on groin hernia repair practice in Japan in 2024 and present the recent changes in open repair technique selection.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of groin hernia repairs registered in the National Clinical Database (NCD) of Japan in 2024, using nationwide data and a Japanese Hernia Society-registered subset with detailed procedure variables for 2021-2024.

RESULTS

In the nationwide dataset, inguinal laparo-endoscopic and open repairs accounted for 58.2% and 38.2% of all groin hernia repairs, respectively. Among open repairs in the Japanese Hernia Society-registered dataset, underlay mesh repair was the most common subtype of primary repair until 2023, but decreased over time. The proportion of anterior onlay mesh repairs increased from 21.8% in 2021 to 32.0% in 2024, while the proportion of plug-and-patch repairs remained stable at approximately 24%. For recurrent open repairs, plug-and-patch repair remained the most common subtype, accounting for approximately 37%-39%, whereas underlay mesh repair decreased from 28.4% in 2021 to 21.0% in 2024, and anterior onlay mesh repair increased from 17.7% in 2021 to 26.0% in 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

Open groin hernia repair remains common in Japan, and its composition is shifting toward the use of anterior onlay mesh repair, although plug-and-patch and underlay mesh repairs are still performed widely.