Chronic postsurgical inguinal pain: incidence and diagnostic biomarkers from a large German national claims database
Authors' conclusion
CPIP is often newly acquired after surgery. A combination of DRG imaging, serum markers, and anxiety screening can support the diagnosis.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with groin hernia surgery in 2018 (German claims data); separate deep-phenotyping cohorthernia surgery in 2018
- Participants
- 11,221 patients
- Exposure
- Chronic postsurgical inguinal pain (CPIP) patients vs healthy controls
- CPIPn = 17
- Healthy controlsn = 141reference
- Outcome
- Incidence of CPIP and diagnostic biomarkers
- Follow-up
- 1-yr
Methodological detailsGerman national claims database, 1-yr follow-up
- German national claims database
- 1-yr follow-up
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pain after hernia surgery (claims data)
Pain before surgery relieved by surgery
8.5%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Deep phenotyping of CPIP patients
- Moderate pain with neuropathic features, individual sensory abnormalities, unilateral L1 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) atrophy
- Blood CCL2 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) upregulated, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) concentration reduced
- Cluster of DRG atrophy, BDNF, ApoA1 and anxiety correlated best with diagnosis
DRG atrophy, CPIP with novel pain
- Significantly more DRG atrophy (ipsilateral vs contralateral volume)
- −24%
Original publication
Chronic postsurgical inguinal pain: incidence and diagnostic biomarkers from a large German national claims database. Br J Anaesth. Published 4 February 2025. doi:10.
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