If an organ pushes through an opening in the muscle or tissue holding it in place, it is called hernia. The portion of the abdomen between your chest and hips is the area where many hernias occur. In the upper thigh and groin areas, they can also appear. You need proper treatment for a hernia as it doesn’t go away. Surgery is an effective treatment option for a hernia. Open repair, laparoscopic (minimally invasive) repair and robotic repair are the three main types of hernia surgery. Here we will have a detailed discussion on each type of surgery.
Open hernia repair surgery
The surgeon makes a cut or incision in the groin and identifies the hernia ‘sac’, which contains the bulging intestine. As the first step, the surgeon pushes back the hernia into the abdomen and uses stitches or synthetic mesh to strengthen the abdominal wall. After a few hours from surgery, many patients can go home and within a few days, they feel fine. For four to six weeks after the surgery, it is better to avoid exercise and strenuous activity. However, a patient will have more pain, more chances of bleeding & infection following open hernia repair compared to Laparoscopic Hernia repair.
Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) hernia repair surgery
Laparoscopic hernia surgery has become the standard of care for all types of Hernias in human body (Groin hernia, Incisional hernia, Umbilical hernia, Epigastric hernia, Lumbar hernia & all other types of ventral hernias, Diaphragmatic hernia and Hiatus hernia). A laparoscopic surgeon in Kolkata inserts a laparoscope through a small incision at the belly button in a laparoscopic (minimally invasive) hernia repair surgery. There is normally the use of general anaesthesia in this procedure. Therefore, the surgeon will evaluate your general state of health before the surgery. There will be an examination of your medical history, an electrocardiogram and some other physical exams.
You will not have any feeling of pain during the surgery. The surgeon will connect a tiny video camera to the laparoscope. It helps to have a clear view of the inside of your abdomen. The surgeon will cut the inner lining of the abdomen, which is called peritoneum, to expose the weak area of the abdominal wall. In order to strengthen the tissue and cover the defects in the abdominal wall, the surgeon places a mesh on the inner abdominal wall.
The surgeon closes the small abdominal incisions with one or two stitches or surgical tape. In a few months, the incisions will become almost invisible. As there are tiny holes made for laparoscopic surgery in Kolkata for hernia repair, you will have almost no pain after operation & recover quickly. Patients can go home within 24hrs of operation & resume work within 2-3days time. There is minimal chance of bleeding & infection after Laparoscopic hernia operation. This technique is also cosmetically very appealing to the patients.
Robotic hernia repair surgery
Like laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon uses a laparoscope in this surgery and the procedure is almost the same. The difference is that in robotic hernia repair, the surgeon attends a console in the operating room and handles the surgical instruments from the console. For reconstructing the abdominal wall, the surgeon can use this procedure besides using it for weak areas or smaller hernias. The use of the robot provides excellent quality three-dimensional pictures of the inner portion of the abdomen in robotic hernia repair surgery. Having tiny scars and less pain are the other benefits of robotic hernia repair surgery.