Content area
Full Text
World J Surg (2015) 39:323324 DOI 10.1007/s00268-014-2857-8
INVITED COMMENTARY
The impact of Type of Mesh Repair on 2nd Recurrence After Recurrent Groin Hernia Surgery
Danny Rosin
Published online: 12 November 2014 Socit Internationale de Chirurgie 2014
What is the best methodology to investigate a clinical question?
Intuitively, one would say a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, as we have been brainwashed to reply. But as the main drawback of any study is its inherent biases, the correct answer should probably be It depends.
The best RCT is still an interventional study, on a selected group of patients, and the intervention itself, even by observation only, can affect the results. This observation effect is true not only for subatomic particles but for human beings as well. Recruiting the patients is always difcult and costly, and the numbers are usually small, just large enough to reach statistical signicance. So, in some situations, it seems that population-based studies are better equipped to look at large numbers of patientsin real world, non-interventional conditions. This is especially important in studies that look into less common conditions where to achieve...