Long term discomfort following hernia repair

Long term discomfort and ‘chronic pain’ following a hernia repair. Are the figures true? Is it really mesh related?

You are undoubtedly aware of all the media attention over “mesh”.

Unfortunately there is much disinformation, muddled thinking and sheer scaremongering that is doing a great disservice to an excellent operation.

The use of mesh has definitely changed the results of hernia repair for the better.

Both the open tension-free mesh repair and the laparoscopic repair are excellent operations when correctly carried out.

To add to the confusion, the use of mesh to repair hernias has been muddled up with the use of mesh placed deep in the pelvis of women to try and treat urinary problems after a traumatic childbirth. The operations are completely different, with mesh used in totally different ways.

I believe that very few patients develop long term post operative pain when mesh is used appropriately for true inguinal hernias. That is my personal experience.
I use the term ‘true’ inguinal hernias because I believe that a number of patients are having inguinal hernia surgery when they don’t have a hernia.

Some patients come to see me after having been operated elsewhere. When I question them carefully I often doubt whether they had a hernia before their operation. Often they will say they never had a bulge or swelling before their operation, but the ultrasound scan showed one.

Ultrasound scans are notoriously unreliable, with a high incidence of ‘false positive’ reports – diagnosing hernias that aren’t there. To operate purely on the basis of an ultrasound report alone is asking for trouble.

In summary

Using mesh to repair inguinal hernias gives excellent results and is a good procedure

The operation needs to be well done

Pain is rare if the operation is appropriately and correctly carried out