More
than half a million Americans get a hernia operation each year.
Namir Katkhouda, M.D., director of the USC Minimally Invasive Surgery
program, warns, "Hernias cannot heal themselves and must be cured
surgically-and the sooner, the better.
"The big risk of every hernia is strangulation of intra-abdominal organs,
especially the small intestine. It can cause a potentially fatal bowel
obstruction requiring emergency surgery."
Although a hernia may be small at the beginning, it will get larger over
time, transforming what could have been a simple operation into a more
complicated one.
"Some people are afraid of surgery. But when a hernia is diagnosed early,
the surgery takes an average of 30 to 45 minutes and most people are back to
work in two weeks or less," he says.
Hernias, which can be congenital or the result of strenuous activity such as
weight-lifting, appear when internal organs or tissue push through a
weakened area of the abdominal wall. The resulting bulge is not only a
cosmetic problem, but often quite painful as well.
Hernias occur in men three times more often than in women, but can affect
people of any age, even in newborns. Most hernias occur in the lower abdomen
or groin, although they can affect the stomach and other parts of the
abdomen.
Repairing the abdominal wall defect consists of suturing the hole in the
abdominal wall or closing the hole with a special mesh that supports the
growth of new abdominal wall tissue.
Both treatments cure the condition permanently in 97 percent of all
patients.
The procedure can be performed either through a three-inch incision or
laparoscopically-a new technique that enables surgeons to perform the
procedure using special instruments inserted through tiny openings in the
skin, while monitoring the operation on a television monitor.
"The big risk of every hernia is strangulation of intra-abdominal organs,
especially the small intestine. It can cause a potentially fatal bowel
obstruction requiring emergency surgery."
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that
laparoscopic hernia repair was superior to the open repair in terms of less
postoperative pain, and quicker return to home and normal activity.
Recurrence rate was lower. Dr. Katkhouda performs the pre-peritoneal hernia
repair rooutinely at the USC Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery.
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Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
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Adrenal & Splenic Disorders
Hernia Repair
Benefits of Laparoscopy
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Photo, Laparoscopic Pre-Peritoneal Hernia
Repair showing placement of mesh to cover
and repair all hernia spaces (direct,
indirect and femoral).
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