Comparison of Scrotal Hitch Technique and Conventional Scrotal Dressing in Reducing the Postoperative Scrotal Oedema in Inguinoscrotal Surgeries: A Non Randomised Clinical Study

Introduction: Inguinoscrotal swellings, including hernias and hydroceles, are the most common complaints in the surgical outpatient department. Hernioplasty and eversion of the sac are the most common elective procedures for inguinoscrotal swellings. Scrotal oedema is one of the complications following the surgery, which increases the patient’s morbidity. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of the scrotal hitch technique in preventing scrotal oedema and postoperative pain after inguinal and scrotal surgeries compared to conventional scrotal dressing. Materials and Methods: This is a non randomised clinical study conducted in the Department of General Surgery at Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakhti Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Melmaruvathur, Tamil Nadu, India, from September 2021 to December 2023, among 60 patients undergoing inguinoscrotal surgeries. Group-A consists of 30 patients who were given scrotal hitch and 30 patients in Group-B were given conventional scrotal dressing. The outcomes were compared between both groups for scrotal oedema and postoperative pain. Descriptive statistics were presented as mean±Standard Deviation (SD) for continuous variables and frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Fisher’s-exact test was used as a test of significance for categorical data. Student’s t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used as tests of significance for continuous data. Results: The mean age of patients in Group-A was 51.7±13.87 years and in Group-B was 53.03±14.22 years. In Group-A, two patients developed scrotal oedema with the scrotal hitch, while in Group-B with scrotal dressing, 11 patients developed scrotal oedema 72 hours postsurgery. In Group-A, the median Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours was 6, 3, 1 and 0. In Group-B, the median VAS score was 7, 4, 1 and 0 at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Conclusion: Postoperative pain was found to be lower in the scrotal hitch group compared to patients with conventional scrotal dressing.