SynthesisReproductive health2018
Does the use of hernia mesh in surgical inguinal hernia repairs cause male infertility? A systematic review and descriptive analysis.
Synthesis in Reproductive health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison of sexual function following Lichtenstein versus laparoscopic mesh repair in primary inguinal hernias, the meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Pooled it
- TEP for elective primary unilateral inguinal hernia repair in men: what do we know?Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Article
- Are Surgeons Going to Be Left Holding the Bag? Incisional Hernia Repair and Intra-Peritoneal Non-Absorbable Mesh Implant Complications.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Article
- Article
- Could polypropylene mesh impair male reproductive organs? Experimental study with different methods of implantation.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2020Article
- Does a bilateral polypropylene mesh alter the duct deferens morphology, testicular size and testosterone levels? Experimental study in rats.Acta cirurgica brasileira · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim of this study was to systematically review the available clinical trials examining male infertility after inguinal hernias were repaired using mesh procedures.
methodsThe Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Chinese Biomedical Medicine Database were investigated. The Jada score was used to evaluate the quality of the studies, "Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine-Levels of Evidence" was used to assess the level of the trials, and descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the studies.
resultsTwenty nine related trials with a total of 36,552 patients were investigated, including seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 616 patients and 10 clinical trials (1230 patients) with mesh or non-mesh repairs. The Jada score showed that there were six high quality RCTs and one low quality RCT. Levels of evidence determined from the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine further demonstrated that those six high quality RCTs also had high levels of evidence. It was found that serum testosterone, LH, and FSH levels declined in the laparoscopic group compared to the open group; however, the testicular volume only slightly increased without statistical significance. Testicular and sexual functions remained unchanged after both laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP) and totally extra-peritoneal repair (TEP). We also compared the different meshes used post-surgeries. VyproII/Timesh lightweight mesh had a diminished effect on sperm motility compared to Marlex heavyweight mesh after a one-year follow-up, but there was no effect after 3 years. Additionally, various open hernia repair procedures (Lichtenstein, mesh plug method, posterior pre-peritoneal mesh repair, and anterior tension-free repair) did not cause infertility.
conclusionsThis systematic review suggests that hernia repair with mesh either in an open or a laparoscopic procedure has no significant effect on male fertility.
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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.