“What are the treatment options for inguinal hernias?”
I was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia and my doctor says that I would need surgery for this. What are the surgical options for inguinal hernias? I'm 47 years old
4 Answers
Laparoscopic repair, watch on You Tube.
I would recommend a minimally invasive approach. Either robotic or laparoscopic.
It depends. If the hernia is found on exam alone (i.e. no visible bulge, no symptoms, normal activities without discomfort, etc.) - then surgery can be safely deferred until symptoms develop or the hernia becomes visible. If the hernia is visible and/or symptomatic - then repair options include open (more traditional) or laparoscopic (+/- assistance of the robotic surgical system) repairs with or without mesh (lap is with-mesh only).
There are two approaches to fixing hernias- open and laparoscopically. 90% of the inguinal hernia repairs that I do are performed laparoscopically. This means I use three small incisions, each about the length of a fingernail, a camera and long instruments to do the procedure. The laparoscopic (or robotic-assisted laparoscopic) approach requires placement of mesh. There has been some bad press about mesh, but if I need a hernia repaired, that is the approach I would take. The recurrence rate with a mesh repair is about 1-2%. The recurrence rate with a non-mesh open repair may be >30%.
