The role of radiological classification of parastomal hernia as a predictor of the need for surgical hernia repair: a retrospective cohort study

Purpose Parastomal hernia (PSH) is a frequent complication of stoma creation during colorectal surgery. Radiological classification systems have been proposed for PSH but are primarily used for research. Our objective was to determine if PSH radiological classification at diagnosis could predict the need for surgical repair during follow-up. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed 705 postoperative CT scans from 154 patients with permanent stoma creation from 2015 to 2018. Patients were included for analysis if a primary PSH was diagnosed on any exam. PSH were classified according to the European Hernia Society (EHS) and Moreno-Matias (MM) classification systems. Results The incidence of radiological PSH was 41% (63/154) after a median radiological follow-up of 19.2 months (interquartile range, 10.9-32.9). Surgical repair was required in 17 of 62 patients with a primary PSH. There was no significant correlation between PSH classification and surgical hernia repair for either the EHS (p = 0.56) or MM classification systems (p = 0.35) in a univariate analysis. However, in a multivariate analysis, the type of PSH according to the EHS classification was significantly correlated with PSH repair during follow-up (p = 0.02). Type III PSH were associated with a lower incidence of surgical hernia repair as compared with type I, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.01 (95% CI, <0.00-0.20). A similar correlation was not seen using the MM classification (p = 0.10). Conclusion EHS classification of PSH was significant correlated with the need for surgical repair during short-term follow-up. Prospective studies are required to establish a potential role in patient care.