Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair

Problems

When done well, by well-trained and experienced surgeons in appropriately selected cases, the results of keyhole inguinal hernia repair can be very good and where appropriate we use it ourselves. The problem is that well-trained surgeons who are experienced in laparoscopic surgery and specialise in hernia repair are few and far between. The consequences of a poorly carried out keyhole repair can be serious. The advantage put forward for laparoscopic surgery is that no large cut is made on the abdomen so in theory there is less post-operative pain and a faster return to normal activities. For example, with major bowel surgery, where large cuts have traditionally been made, the laparoscopic option is a good one.But for inguinal hernia repair the incision for our described open local anaesthetic repair is small anyway, particularly in the hands of surgeons who specialise, so the difference in that regard is not at all significant.

Pain after Keyhole Surgery

In practice and depending upon how it is performed, you can get quite a lot of pain after a laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, because the pain does not come from the skin cut anyway. The pain is more likely to be related to the fact that the deep tissues have been cut and pulled, and staples may have been used to fix the mesh.

Disadvantages of Keyhole Hernia Surgery

So when would Keyhole Hernia Surgery be recommended?