Your Type of Hernia Dictates the Treatment a Hernia Specialist Recommends
There are three types of hernias: indirect inguinal hernias, direct inguinal hernias and femoral hernias. Not all hernias are alike and neither are the procedures to repair them. Only after your doctor has diagnosed your type of hernia can he or she recommend the best treatment – ideally, one that does not include mesh repair. Learn more about why Dr. William Brown performs non-mesh hernia repair.
If you are diagnosed with an indirect hernia, also known as a congenital hernia, that means that your muscles in that region are not damaged. Congenital hernias are the result of the abdominal wall not closing after the testicle passes through to the scrotum before you were born. This hole can enlarge as you get older and create a bulge under the skin, which is the intestines poking through. Luckily, full reconstruction of the inguinal floor isn’t necessary. Just a few stitches do the trick to close the hole.
Repairing a direct hernia, also called an acquired hernia, is more challenging. In this case, the muscles have been damaged and eventually tear. Direct hernias occur from overuse of the muscles in the area, an accident that tears them, or from chronic coughing. Since the muscles have been damaged, it is harder to find good tissue to repair the defect and requires special surgical skill.
Femoral hernias are the most difficult of hernias to repair and can be difficult to diagnosis. The intestines pass under the inguinal ligament and there may only a slight bulge under the skin on the thigh. Often a McVay technique is needed to fix the hole.
It is not unheard of to be diagnosed with more than one of the three types of hernias, each of which could require a different type of hernia repair technique.
Contact Dr. Brown today to schedule an appointment or learn more about his approach to repairing hernias.