Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42390606›Full record

ArticleLangenbeck's archives of surgery2026

Management and outcomes in acute symptomatic hernias: a retrospective cohort study and review of cross-over to surgery.

Yichen Liu, Hiba Al-Khaffaji, Huarui Xue, Wen Yuan Chung, Hassan Nassar, Saman Habib, Molly Castagna, James Wolff

Abstract read
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Article in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yichen Liu *Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. yl770@student.le.ac.uk.
Hiba Al-Khaffaji *Department of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
Huarui XueLeicester Medical School, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Wen Yuan ChungDepartment of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
Hassan NassarDepartment of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
Saman HabibDepartment of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
Molly CastagnaDepartment of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
James WolffDepartment of Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeHernias are a frequent cause of acute surgical admission, yet optimal management remains uncertain. Watchful waiting (WW) and waiting-list delays may increase symptom recurrence and surgical crossover, creating uncertainty about when timely elective repair is indicated. This study evaluates acute hernia presentations and how different management pathways may influence outcomes.

methodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted on 105 patients presenting with symptomatic hernias to the University Hospitals of Leicester from period of September 2024 to January 2025 with patient follow-up in September 2025. Outcomes analysed included length of hospital stay, complications, surgical crossover rates, and re-presentations.

resultsA total of 105 patients met the inclusion criteria. 51(49%) patients were conservatively managed with WW, and 43(41%) listed for elective repair, and 11(10%) underwent emergency surgery at presentation. WW patients had higher re-presentation rates (35.3 vs. 14%, p = 0.0172) and surgical crossover rates (33.3 vs. 2.3%, p < 0.001) relative to those awaiting elective surgery. In the WW cohort, crossover occurred in 50% of inguinal hernias (9.1% to emergency; 40.9% to elective) and approximately 20.7% of ventral hernias (10.3% to emergency; 10.3% to elective). Emergency hernia repair was associated with increased length of stay compared to elective repair for both ventral (median 4 vs. 0.5 days, p = 0.0079) and inguinal hernias (median 1.5 vs. 0 days, p < 0.001).

conclusionObserved surgical crossover and re-presentation among patients managed with watchful waiting may indicate the importance of identifying patients who are less suitable for prolonged non-operative management. Structured follow-up and reassessment may improve watchful waiting pathways and support shared decision-making regarding the appropriateness of surgical repair. Further studies are needed to validate these findings.

Indexed as

Hernia, InguinalHerniorrhaphyWatchful WaitingAcute DiseaseAgedConservative TreatmentElective Surgical ProceduresFemaleHumansLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedRecurrenceRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAcute hernia managementElective hernia repairHerniaRe-presentationSurgery cross-overWatchful waiting

Identifiers

PMID42390606
PMCPMC13601118

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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.