Which Type of Hernia Repair is the Best?

Dr. William Brown would tell you that the question he is asked most often is, “Which type of hernia repair is the best?”  His response is always, “It depends.”

Each hernia repair needs to be tailored the patient’s anatomy.   Your surgeon should have all these various methods available and then choose which will give the best result for your situation.  For example, in a young athlete with an indirect inguinal hernia, the Marcy hernia repair yields excellent results with minimal dissection and minimal postoperative pain. 

For direct inguinal hernias the Bassini, the Shouldice, and the Desarda are all excellent choices.  The Bassini repair is very good choice, especially if the floor of the inguinal canal is just weak and not fully torn. But there may more tension on the repair than the other techniques.  The Desarda also provides excellent results.  There is very little tension on the repair.  But the Desarda repair does require a strong external oblique aponeurosis to serve as a patch to cover the inguinal floor.  Therefore, it is not a good option if the external oblique aponeurosis is torn or weak.  The Shouldice is an excellent operation.  There little tension on the repair.  The four-layer repair is very strong.  But it does rely on an intact inguinal ligament. Thus, there will be times when the Shouldice may not be possible.

The McVay repair involves the use of Cooper’s ligament instead of the inguinal ligament to repair the inguinal floor.  It is especially good technique in situations in which the inguinal ligament is damaged or there is an associated femoral hernia. The McVay hernia repair does have tension on the repair and may require more recovery time.

Your surgeon should know all of these techniques for hernia repair.  And he or she will often find that a hybrid operation using the best ideas from each method may be needed to achieve your best result.

Learn more about Dr. Brown’s approach to hernia repair without mesh. Contact Dr. Brown today.