With few exceptions, once a hernia is diagnosed, it should be repaired at your earliest convenience. This eventually leads to ischemia of the intestine and must be treated with removal of the ischemic or dead segment of intestine. More than half a million hernia repairs are done annually in the United States. With traditional inguinal hernia repair, a three to five inch incision is made in the groin. The hernia sac is removed and the opening is closed by sewing the edges together or by attaching a mesh patch to the outside of the abdominal wall.
Laparoscopic surgery performs the same hernia repair, but uses much smaller incisions.
In laparoscopic surgery, the mesh is attached inside the abdominal wall. This method works with the natural outward pressure of the abdomen to secure the repair. These are called inguinal hernias . Indirect inguinal hernias occur because of a natural weakness, and direct inguinal hernias are caused by excessive strain. A patient is asleep under general anesthesia during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.