Role of Scrotal Support to Prevent Scrotal Edema After Inguinal Hernioplasty

Inguinal hernia is a quite common condition that is often seen in the elderly as compared to younger patients. Objective: To find out the prevalence of patients developing scrotal edema after inguinal hernioplasty and evaluate the role of scrotal support in avoiding it in our setting. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at K.V.S.S. Site Hospital, Karachi for the period of January 2021 to December 2022. All the data that were collected and analyzed on the latest version of SPSS. The frequencies calculated for the categorical data while the mean  found for the numerical data. The chi-square test was run to find out the effectiveness of scrotal support in reducing the frequency of scrotal swelling. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 50(55.6%) patients were in the age group of 50-70 years. The majority were smokers (66.7%) and had a BMI>30 (83.3%). 40(44.4%) patients had a significant surgical history. The majority of the patients in our study had diabetes (66.7%). 59% of the patients in our study had an indirect hernia. 25(27.8%) patients who were not given scrotal support developed scrotal edema however only 1(1.1%) who were provided scrotal support immediately after the surgery developed scrotal edema. The association between scrotal support and scrotal edema was statistically significant (p<0.01). Conclusions: Scrotal support has a positive role in preventing scrotal edema in our study.