ASK THE EXPERTS: MEDICAL ADVICE
Do You Have a Hernia?
Has It Been Left Untreated?

You’re not alone. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 5 million Americans have hernias. Each year approximately 750,000 seek treatment, yet physician experts believe hundreds of thousands choose to suffer in silence, primarily because they fear painful surgery. Anyone can get a hernia at any age. A hernia, caused by a weakness or defect in the abdominal wall permits the inner lining of the abdomen, fatty tissue or bowel to protrude through the muscle causing the wall to weaken or tear. Eventually, part of the intestine or other internal organs push into the weakened area, forming a bulge. Hernias most commonly occur in the groin area and can develop due to heavy strain on the abdominal wall, substantial weight gain, injury, aging or an old incision.

At the South Texas Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, “minimally invasive surgery” is the latest revolutionary surgical option for repairing hernias. In reality, hernia surgery has evolved significantly, using small – dime-size – incision surgery, also known as “keyhole” surgery.

“The minimally invasive technique uses a tiny telescope attached to a camera and requires less than four tiny (dime-sized) incisions, says Guillermo Marquez, M.D., a surgeon trained in advanced minimally invasive surgery. The smaller incisions give the minimally invasive surgical method several advantages over the traditional “open wound” ‘repair.” Patients experience less pain, recover faster and return to normal activity quicker. In fact, minimally invasive hernia repair is the procedure of choice for patients who have recurrent hernias, or hernias that occur after a previous open hernia repair.”

If you think a hernia will go away with time (it doesn’t), it will only get bigger if it is left untreated. The bigger the hernia, the more difficult it is to repair. Most importantly, it may seem that your hernia is not very serious, especially if you are not having any symptoms. People with incarcerated hernias should seek immediate surgical attention because the intestine might become strangulated or trapped in the hernia. This can cause the intestine to die — a life-threatening medical condition.

It is very important for you to see your doctor to decide if you have a hernia and determine if minimally invasive surgery may be an option.

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