Surgical options

Surgical options

Open repair – making a small incision over the swelling.  Can be carried out with local anaesthetic * or general anaesthetic.

Laparoscopic (‘keyhole’) repair– putting instruments into the abdomen. General anaesthetic only

The open method for inguinal can be carried out using just a local anaesthetic, although the majority of surgeons seem to prefer their patients fully asleep under a general anaesthetic.

I use is a ‘tension free’ method, which my colleagues and I developed when we were at the British Hernia Centre.

Local anaesthetic – the injection with a fine needle is near the swelling.  NOT an injection in the back.

Keyhole, or laparoscopic surgery, is carried out through small holes in the abdomen, with a telescope and special instruments. The surgeon watches what he is doing on a television screen.  It is certainly a good method for some hernias, but it does have some disadvantages, one of which is that it can only be carried out under a general anaesthetic.

Comparing open with laparoscopic

“…scientific evaluation of the total extraperitoneal (TEP) and Lichtenstein mesh techniques for the repair of inguinal hernia…”