Cost of inguinal hernia surgery by state

What is an inguinal hernia?

When weakness in the borders of the inguinal area causes the canal to widen, it can be enough to allow abdominal fat or intestinal structures to bulge through. This is deemed an inguinal hernia. It’s all a matter of tone and tissue integrity.

What conditions cause inguinal hernia?

The failure of the inguinal ring to remain narrow can be caused by a congenital weakness—a genetic cause—which happens in males more than females. Other causes include anything which challenges the normal tone of the inguinal ring’s restrictive closure. This can happen with:

• straining against it, such as with constipation,
• increased internal abdominal pressure from obesity,
• chronic coughing with sudden spikes in internal pressure, weakening the ring over time, and
• pregnancy, when hormones naturally soften ligaments.

How is inguinal hernia diagnosed?

Inguinal hernia can be suspected from the symptoms of inguinal pain, but healthcare providers can feel the bulge by simple exam. Beyond that, imaging such as ultrasound or CT scan can be useful.

How serious is an inguinal hernia?

Everyone has inguinal hernias to some degree—they’re born with them. Only when they widen or weaken does it become a problem because intestines can be forced through. Even that may not be a serious problem because your intestines can sometimes fall back through it where they belong (“reducible”). However, things will not get better (the hernia will not cure itself), so this can lead to contents becoming trapped (“incarcerated”); this may lead to  death of bowel tissue, which is a life-threatening emergency.

How is inguinal hernia treated?

A hernia is treated with surgery. It cannot “heal” on its own. Once the area is weak enough to cause the symptoms of pain, burning, or other discomforts related to protruding fat or intestines, surgery is done not only to relieve these symptoms, but to prevent danger to the intestines, too.

What techniques are used to treat inguinal hernia?

There are two main techniques used to treat inguinal hernias:

1. Laparotomy (an incision over the inguinal area is made to access the point of weakness)

2. Laparoscopy (“minimally invasive surgery” with scopes and tiny incisions)

These procedures can take between 30 to 60 minutes and stitches with or without reinforcing mesh are used to re-strengthen the point of weakness (block the opening). The most frequent complication is hernia recurrence. Although mesh has had problems—many have been recalled—using FDA-approved mesh offers the lowest chance of recurrence.

What is the recovery from hernia surgery?

Hernia surgery is usually an out-patient procedure—at most, an overnight stay. The pain consists of soreness and sharp stabs (when the muscles are used), but this goes away quickly—by half each day after. The real importance of recovery is in making sure there is no abdominal straining against the site for 6 weeks. This includes straining on the toilet, physical exertions beyond just walking, and perhaps even sexual activity. While these restrictions are no fun, they’re temporary.