Trial reportSurgical endoscopy2015
Three-month results of the effect of Ultrapro or Prolene mesh on post-operative pain and well-being following endoscopic totally extraperitoneal hernia repair (TULP trial).
Trial report in Surgical endoscopy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Lightweight mesh versus heavyweight mesh for laparo-endoscopic inguinal hernia repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2020Pooled it
- International guidelines for groin hernia management.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2018Guideline
- Watchful waiting versus totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair for occult inguinal hernia and pain (EFFECT trial)-a multicenter, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Trial
- Experience with the PINQ-PHONE telephone questionnaire for detection of recurrences after endoscopic inguinal hernia repair.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2019Trial
- Case Report: Mesh repair of a urinary bladder dorsal wall defect following repeated cystorrhaphy in a warmblood foal.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Postoperative Outcomes and Recurrence Rate in Laparoscopic Tep Inguinal Hernia Repairs Using Partially Absorbable Meshes: A Retrospective Single-Surgeon Study Over a 5-Year Period.Sisli Etfal Hastanesi tip bulteni · 2024Article
- Definition of Mesh Weight and Pore Size in Groin Hernia Repair: A Systematic Scoping Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of abdominal wall surgery : JAWS · 2023Article
- Varying convalescence recommendations after inguinal hernia repair: a systematic scoping review.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2022Article
- Is young age a risk factor for chronic postoperative inguinal pain after endoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair?Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2019Article
- Efficacy and safety of a novel partially absorbable mesh in totally extraperitoneal hernia repair.Annals of surgical treatment and research · 2017Article
- Article
- Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecurrence rates after inguinal hernia repair have been reduced to a few per cent, since mesh repair has become standard of care. Lightweight meshes reduce post-operative pain and stiffness in open anterior repair, but for endoscopic repair, the discussion about this benefit is ongoing. This study was done to analyse the effects of lightweight mesh versus heavyweight mesh following endoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair.
methodsIn a single-centre double-blindly randomized clinical trial, 950 patients with unilateral primary inguinal hernia were randomized to undergo endoscopic TEP using either an Ultrapro(®) or a Prolene(®) mesh. Data were collected by validated questionnaires at day 1, day 7, after 6 weeks and after 3 months, and clinical assessment was performed after 3 months. The presence of groin pain after 3 months, defined as an NRS score >3, was evaluated as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes were foreign body feeling and the impact of pain and foreign body feeling on daily activities.
resultsAt 3-month follow-up, the incidence of pain (NRS 4-10) was 2 versus 0.9 % in the lightweight and heavyweight mesh group, respectively (p = 0.17). Pain interfered with daily activities in 1.7 % of the lightweight and 1.5 % of heavyweight group. In the lightweight group, 20 % of patients reported a foreign body feeling versus 18 % in the heavyweight group (p = 0.62). No differences between the groups were observed regarding time to return to work, interference with sports and sexual activities, testicular pain and ejaculatory pain. Severe preoperative pain (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.21-3.35, p = 0.01) was the only independent predictor of any post-operative pain after 3 months.
conclusionThree months after TEP inguinal repair, there were no significant differences between lightweight and heavyweight mesh use regarding the incidence of pain, foreign body feeling or any other endpoint.
Indexed as
Identifiers
25552236What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.