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“I
had severe medical problems that medication alone could not cure or treat.
Dr. Larson got right down to business with no fooling around. The surgery
was the best thing I ever did.”
—Penny
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A hernia is a weakness or separation in a tissue that
results in the
bulging or pushing out of underlying structures through the
weakness. Inguinal hernias occur in the groin and can cause pain with
coughing or lifting. Incisional or ventral hernias occur in a scar from
a previous operation. Hernias can also become incarcerated or
strangulated. These are surgical emergencies because the tissue has
become trapped within the hernia, even to the point of choking off the
blood supply and becoming gangrenous.
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Once a hernia becomes painful, the best treatment is
surgery. If the
hernia is incarcerated or strangulated, the operation is usually
performed as an emergency. Non-emergency inguinal hernia repairs can be
performed the traditional way with an incision in the groin, or with a
laparoscopic technique using mesh and three small incisions below
the belly button.
Both repairs are very good. One potential advantage of the laparoscopic
technique is that after surgery there may be less pain, and this repair
might be desirable when the patient has to return to a full-duty job as
soon as possible after the operation. Mesh can also be used in a
traditional approach. Ventral hernias can be repaired with either a
traditional or a laparoscopic approach, and using mesh is common in
these repairs.
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| Hernia repairs are usually long lasting, but 1 - 10% of
hernias will reform over time. Following a successful hernia repair,
most patients have full function and no continued symptoms. |
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