Evidence-Based Hernia Treatment in Adults

Inguinal hernia repair is the most common general surgical procedure in industrialized countries, with a frequency of about 200 operations per 100 000 persons per year. Suture- and mesh-based techniques can be used, and the procedure can be either open or minimally invasive.

This review is based on a selective search of the literature, with interpretation of the published findings according to the principles of evidence-based medicine.

Inguinal hernia is diagnosed by physical examination. Surgery is not necessarily indicated for a primary, asymptomatic inguinal hernia in a male patient, but all inguinal hernias in women should be operated on. For hernias in women, and for all bilateral hernias, a laparoscopic or endoscopic procedure is preferable to an open procedure. Primary unilateral hernias in men can be treated either by open surgery or by laparoscopy/endoscopy. Patients treated by laparoscopy/endoscopy develop chronic pain less often than those treated by open surgery. A mesh-based repair is generally recommended; this seems reasonable in view of the pathogenesis of the condition, which involves an abnormality of the extracellular matrix.

The choice of procedure has been addressed by international guidelines based on high-level evidence. Surgeons should deviate from their recommendations only in exceptional cases and for special reasons. Guideline conformity implies that hernia surgeons must master both open and endoscopic/laparoscopic techniques.