Hernia Repair
Herniorrhaphy
Herniorrhaphy (Hernioplasty, Hernia repair) is a surgical procedure for correcting hernia. A hernia is a bulging of internal organs or tissues, which protrude through an abnormal opening in the muscle wall. Hernias can occur in the abdomen, groin, and at the site of a previous surgery.
An operation in which the hernia sac is removed without any repair of the inguinal canal is described as a 'herniotomy'.
When herniotomy is combined with a reinforced repair of the posterior inguinal canal wall with autogenous (patient's own tissue) or heterogeneous (like steel or prolene mesh) material it is termed Hernioplasty as opposed to herniorrhaphy in which no autogenous or heterogeneous material is used for reinforcement.
Techniques
Open "Tension" Repair
A workable technique of repairing hernia was first described by Bassini in the 1880s; the Bassini technique was a "tension" repair, in which the edges of the defect are sewn back together without any reinforcement or prosthesis. In the Bassini technique, the conjoint tendon (formed by the distal ends of the transversus abdominis muscle and the internal oblique muscle) is approximated to the inguinal canal and closed.
Although tension repairs are no longer the standard of care due to the high rate of recurrence of the hernia, long recovery period, and post-operative pain, a few tension repairs are still in use today; these include the Shouldice and the Cooper's ligament/McVay repair.
The Shouldice techniques is a complicated four layer reconstruction; however, it has relatively low reported recurrence rates.
Open "Tension-Free" Repair
Almost all repairs done today are open "tension-free" repairs that involve the placement of a synthetic mesh to strengthen the inguinal region; some popular techniques include the Lichtenstein repair (flat mesh patch placed on top of the defect), Plug and Patch (mesh plug placed in the defect and covered by a Lichtenstein-type patch), Kugel (mesh device placed behind the defect), and Prolene Hernia System (2-layer mesh device placed over and behind the defect). This operation is called a 'hernioplasty'. The meshes used are typically made from polypropylene or polyester, although some companies market Teflon meshes and partially absorbable meshes. The operation is typically performed under local anesthesia, and patients go home within a few hours of surgery, often requiring no medication beyond aspirin or acetaminophen. Patients are encouraged to walk and move around immediately post-operatively, and they can usually resume all their normal activities within a week or two of the operation. Recurrence rates are very low - one percent or less, compared with over 10% for a tension repair. Rates of complications are generally low but they can be quite serious, and can include chronic pain, ischemic orchitis, and testicular atrophy.
Laparoscopic Repair
In recent years, as in other areas of surgery, laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia has emerged as an option. "Lap" repairs (sometimes called "keyhole" surgery or minimally invasive surgery) are also tension-free, although the mesh is placed within the pre-peritoneal space behind the defect as opposed to in or over it. Advantages of lap over the open method include a faster recovery time and a lower post-operative pain score.
Like the open method, laparoscopic surgery may involve local or general anesthesia, depending on the size and related factors of the hernia. Lap is usually more expensive as it requires more Operating Room time than open repair, but a shorter hospitalization period.
There is no definitive consensus as to the comparative risk of complications, or comparative rate of recurrence compared to the open tension-free repairs. However, nearly all surgeries are moving to lap methodologies, as the smaller incisions used result in less bleeding, less infection, faster recovery, reduced hospitalization and reduced pain.
