Hernia surgery can be described based on three specific categories:

Open versus Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery

The two major types of hernia surgery are traditional open surgery, and laparoscopic surgery. No one approach is suitable for every patient. Patients with certain types of hernias may benefit from open hernia surgery while another similar patient may need laparoscopic hernia repair. The size of the hernia, the location, and whether it is unilateral or bilateral influences the best approach. Patients can read our:

to read the pro’s and con’s of each type of surgery, as well as compare them to each other.

Tension Vs. Tension-Free Hernia Repair

The term ‘tension’ or ‘tension-free’ is commonly used when describing a particular hernia surgery. Hernias are caused by a weakening of the abdominal muscles which over time develops into a true hole. For patients who desire a no mesh repair, the muscles surrounding the hernia defect are sewn back together to close the hernia. This pulling together of the muscles creates tension which his why primary (no mesh) repairs are considered ‘tension repairs’.

In many patients, whether due to the size of the hernia or the patient, it’s not advisable for a surgeon to simply pull the muscles back together. In those cases, most hernia specialists today utilize a mesh to help strengthen the muscles and the hernia repair. When using a mesh, the muscles themselves are often not sewn together limiting the tension on the tissues providing a ‘tension free’ repair. Instead, a mesh is placed over or under the hole in the muscle to prevent anything from pushing through the abdominal wall.

Mesh Versus No Mesh Hernia Repairs

While a no mesh hernia repair is an option for some patients, many others will strongly benefit from the use of a mesh. Some patients have heard or read negative information about mesh surgery. However, the unbiased government agency The National Institutes of Health performed a study of whether mesh should or should not be used for hernia surgery and found that in the vast majority of patients, a mesh is the recommended approach to repairing a hernia. They also found that in the right hands, the use of a mesh causes little if any additional risks to the patient. Read the article by clicking on the logo below:

Patients can read more on our ‘Truths About Hernia Mesh‘ page.

Our Approach

Our office specializes in the surgical repair for all hernia types. We provide patients with the full spectrum of treatment options from open no mesh hernia repairs to advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques. Dr. Harris and our team perform over 500 hernia repairs each year making us the busiest center on the West Coast, and one of the top 3 in the country.

For over 10 years we have partnered with the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) to track the outcome of every surgery we perform. Year over year, our nationally leading outcome data shows a lower chance of hernia recurrence and a lower risk of developing chronic pain – data which we actively publish on our website. Our commitment to cutting edge hernia care, the full spectrum of surgical options, as well as research and transparency in our data, helps ensure you will have the best outcome after your hernia surgery.

Although basic open surgical hernia repair is still an important option for some patients, every patient should consider being seen by a surgeon who can perform advanced laparoscopic hernia surgery and who uses the newest lightweight mesh. Only a small handful of the hundreds of general surgeons in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego have the experience to perform hernia surgeries using laparoscopic techniques and use cutting edge lightweight mesh.

How Can You Minimize Recurrent Hernias and Complications?

Patients often cannot affect their risk of developing a primary (first time) hernia. However, patients can minimize the chances of having a recurrent hernia or chronic postoperative pain by choosing a surgeon who performs a high volume of hernia surgeries. Just like no one would want to fly with a pilot who only flies a few times a month, a surgeon who operates on hernias infrequently cannot provide leading care. In addition, finding a surgeon who publishes their surgical volume and outcomes data for future patients to review will ensure that you are choosing someone who can provie the outcome that you are looking for in a surgeon. Patients can read about our Hernia Patient Outcome Data here, or about recurrent hernias and complications from hernia surgery on our ‘Complications of Hernia Surgery‘ page along with how our center minimizes these risks.

What to Expect From Hernia Surgery

We know that visiting a doctor can be an uneasy experience. Most patients will (hopefully) only visit a few surgeons in their life. Not knowing what to expect and not knowing anything about the surgeon you are seeing can cause anxiety! We are extremely proud of our patient centered care and the experience our patients have with us. That’s why we encourage our past patients to give feedback about our practice and Dr. Harris. Whether this feedback is in the form of a letter, or on HealthGrades and Yelp, our past patients ease the anxiety of our future patients. In the videos below, some of our past patients discuss what their experience was like with hernia surgery at our center.