Hernia

Hi, I'm Sanjay Perkiasta. I'm a general, laparoscopic, upper GI and bariatric surgeon. Today I'm going to talk to you about hernias. Hernias tend to be painful lumps in the abdominal wall or in the groin. They often occur after heavy lifting or in patients that have chronic coughs, are smokers, or have chronic straining issues such as prostate problems or constipation. Athletes and very active people can also get hernias. These can all be troublesome because they're painful when you move, carry out certain activities such as running, swimming or even sexual intercourse. Patients with hernias that are symptomatic should get them fixed as it will help them with their quality of life. Here at the London General Surgery Clinic we carry out such procedures usually with keyhole techniques known as laparoscopy. The hernias are reduced, a mesh which is a sterile woven piece of flexible plastic usually made of polypropylene is put in place to stop the hernia coming back and the tissues return to their normal positions. This stops the hernias from recurring, also known as recurrence. So what are the risks of this sort of surgery? Well they are the common risks of any surgery such as bleeding, infection, pain, small scars, occasionally the need for open surgery. However, the benefits are removal of the hernia and returning to normal life activities and exercises. Occasionally, very rarely the hernia can come back or you can get a bruise or some swelling called a seroma at the hernia site. These usually go away on their own. To find out more about hernia and hernia surgery, particularly with keyhole or laparoscopic techniques, please do get in touch, either by email, phone, or through the website at the London General Surgery Clinic. I'm Sanjay Perkiasta, and I'm a consultant general surgeon.