Understanding the options for hernia surgery

Of the 1 million people who need hernia surgery in the US each year, most get a procedure that inserts a mesh patch to cover the hernia. Mesh surgery has a high rate of success and satisfies most patients, but some people would rather skip the insert. There is an alternative called the Shouldice Approach: Instead of using mesh, this procedure stitches together the patient's own tissue to repair a hernia. Samer Sbayi, MD, is a leading expert in both surgical approaches and joins the podcast to explain what everyone should know about hernia repairs. 

Dr. Sbayi recently joined Glen Cove Hospital and serves as associate chair of surgery. He is also a Professor of Surgery at Hofstra/Northwell. 

Podcast transcript

Chapters:

• 00:01 - Intro
• 00:57 - What is a hernia?
• 01:56 - What does a hernia look like? 
• 02:14 - What causes a hernia?
• 03:15 - When to worry about hernia pain
• 04:27 - Types of hernias
• 06:17 - When do you need hernia surgery?
• 07:29 - Hernia surgery: Mesh vs meshless
• 08:33 - Shouldice Approach: a no mesh hernia repair
• 10:01 - History of hernia surgery
• 11:32 - Training at the Shouldice Hospital
• 12:35 - Who should get a Shouldice hernia repair?
• 14:34 - A robotic approach
• 16:22 - Hernia surgery complications
• 18:50 - Training residents in meshless hernia repair