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delivery system can all minimize discomfort and increase patient satisfaction. Here are 4 factors to consider in the quest to minimize, or virtually eliminate, the pain that traditionally accompanies hernia surgery.
1. Open or laparoscopic?
There's no question that laparoscopic procedures offer several advantages with inguinal hernias, but there are several variables to consider, one of the biggest being who's doing the surgery. "You have to
look at the ability of the surgeon," says Guy Voeller, MD, FACS, professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and past president of the American
Hernia Association. "Laps are more technically demanding. If you're not well-versed, you should probably stick with open."
But if you are, one of the benefits is likely to be less discomfort for patients.
"There's less acute pain, a quicker recovery and, when done properly, less chronic pain," says Dr. Voeller. "Of course you also have to consider the patient. If you're dealing with someone with a lot of other illnesses, or if the patient has comorbidities that make him highrisk with general anesthesia, you probably want to do open."
It depends on the type of hernia, too, says laparoscopic surgeon Sharona B. Ross, MD, of Tampa, Fla. "For large ventral hernias, I
