How do we Treat Recurrent Inguinal Hernias?

Patients who have a hernia repair have about a 1-2% chance of the hernia coming back, or ‘recurring’. Recurrent hernias can pose a more difficult challenge since there has already been one surgery in the area, creating scar tissue. Often the first surgeon used a mesh so repeating the surgery a second time creates difficulty avoiding the prior hernia mesh. In my practice, I discuss all of patients surgical options during our consultation. We often ask you to obtain the prior surgical report so that we can have better understanding of the technique and the type of mesh (if used) which was placed at the initial surgery. The most important consideration when deciding on whether to repair the recurrent hernia open or laparoscopic is what technique was used for the first surgery. If a patient has had an open inguinal hernia repair, we strongly recommend repairing the recurrent hernia using the laparoscopic technique. By doing so, we avoid the prior scar tissue and often the prior hernia mesh. Choosing a surgeon who has a lot of laparoscopic hernia experience is critical since these surgeries are often much more difficult than first time operations. This article from the journal Hernia discusses this exact topic. Laparoscopic repair of recurrent hernias is the preferred method when the surgeon has significant experience in this technique.  Click below: