Surgeons at Western Baptist Hospital offer "minimally invasive" techniques to repair the most common types of hernias.

About the Procedure

A hernia occurs when the abdominal wall weakens and the inner lining of the abdomen pushes through the weakened area. If the hernia occurs in the groin it is termed an inguinal hernia. If it occurs below the groin, it is called a femoral hernia. Laparoroscopic surgery can often be used to repair many inguinal and femoral hernias and strengthen the abdominal wall to prevent another hernia from occurring.

Laparoscopic hernia repair is usually performed on an outpatient basis in Western Baptist Hospital's surgical center. For general information on what to expect, please refer to our Instructions for Outpatient Surgery.

Before the procedure, you will be given general anesthesia. After you are asleep, your doctor will inflate your abdomen with carbon dioxide gas so he or she can get a clear view of your internal organs. Next, the laparoscope, which is about as thick as a pencil, will be inserted through a small incision. The laparoscope enables your doctor to see your internal organs on a video monitor. Other tiny incisions will be made for inserting surgical instruments.

During the procedure, your surgeon will pull the hernial sac back into the abdominal cavity. This will expose the weakened spot on the abdominal wall and enable him or her to cover it with a mesh patch. The patch is placed on the inside of the abdominal wall, where pressure from the abdomen helps secure it.

At the end of the procedure, the gas will be released and your incision(s) will be closed. You will then be taken to Western Baptist Hospital's Post-Anesthsia Care Unit, where nurses will carefully monitor your progress for several hours until you are stable and ready to go home.

Advantages of Laparoscopic Hernia Repair

Laparoscopic hernia repair offers several advantages over tradition "open" procedures which require a large incision in the lower abdomen:

• Less scarring;
• Less pain;
• Faster recovery, with most patients able to return to work after a few days, rather than the three to five weeks for traditional surgery; and
• Stronger repair of the abdominal wall, reducing the chance of future ruptures in that area of the abdomen.

Recovering from Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery

Your doctor will provide you with instructions on how to care for yourself after you go home. You may experience some discomfort in your shoulders after the surgery, due to small amounts of the carbon dioxide gas left in the abdomen. You should be able to return to work and your normal routine, including exercise and sports, within two or three days. Call your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• fever over 101° F
• an incision that drains for longer than a day
• increasing pain or redness at an incision site

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