Postoperative urinary retention is a short-term complication after inguinal hernia repair. We investigated the incidence of postoperative urinary retention and the predisposing factors in terms of age, gender, localization and type of hernia, anesthesia type and presence of recurrence and scrotal hernia on 502 patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair between July 1998 and July 2002. The incidence of postoperative urinary retention was 9.1 %. Advanced age, general anesthesia, conventional repairs that cause tension and simultaneous bilateral hernia repair were detected as predisposing factors with chi-square test.

In conclusion; We suggest that especially in the elderly, tension-free inguinal hernia repair techniques should be performed under local or regional anesthesia in order to prevent development of urinary retention.

Keywords:

inguinal hernia, postoperative, urinary retention, predisposing factors