Inguinal hernia, commonly known as “hernia”. It is a frequent disease, especially among children and middle-aged and elderly people, and according to relevant data, there are about 20 million cases of inguinal hernia each year worldwide. The general incidence of hernia is 1 to 4%, 15 times higher in men than in women. In China, the elderly population is over 300 million, the incidence of hernia in the population over 60 years old is 1.18%, and the number of elderly hernia patients is about 5.4 million, so there are still millions of hernia patients suffering from pain in China. What is an inguinal hernia: We refer to a hernia that occurs in the inguinal region as an inguinal hernia, which includes hiatal, ventral and femoral hernias. Any organ or tissue that leaves its original site and enters another part of the body through a normal or abnormal weak point or defect or orifice is called a hernia. The most common type of hernia is an extra-abdominal hernia, 95% of which are inguinal hernias, one of the most common diseases in surgery. What causes inguinal hernia: The two factors that cause hernias are reduced strength of the abdominal wall and increased intra-abdominal pressure. Elderly people often suffer from chronic bronchitis, hypertrophy of the prostate gland, habitual constipation and other diseases; long-term chronic cough, difficulty in urination and straining to defecate, resulting in increased intra-abdominal pressure, which displaces and compresses the intra-abdominal organs to the weak area of the abdominal wall. In addition, ascites caused by cardiopulmonary disease, liver disease, can also slowly cause an increase in abdominal pressure. In the elderly, the degeneration of the abdominal wall muscles and tendons and their reduced strength, coupled with obesity or long-term bedridden illness, can easily lead to atrophy of the abdominal wall muscles and hernia. Who is prone to hernia: According to incomplete statistics, there are about one million hernia patients in China. Inguinal hernias are commonly seen in male patients, mainly due to a defect in the abdominal wall of the posterior wall of the inguinal canal, from which intestinal loops bulge out and form a hernia mass that can descend into the scrotum. Femoral hernias usually occur in the upper thighs and are commonly seen in women. In China, the elderly population exceeds 300 million and the prevalence of hernias in the population over 60 years of age is 1.18%. Medical experts believe that thousands more people endure the pain of a hernia. What are the symptoms of an inguinal hernia: A hernia is visible or can be felt. When you notice a lump appearing at the base of your thigh or near your abdominal femoral area, which may disappear when you lie down and may occasionally be painful and uncomfortable, and may worsen with exercise, you may have a hernia and should see your doctor as soon as possible. Within a year after birth, parents can see or feel a significantly enlarged swelling in the scrotum of these young infants, and light pressure on the swelling with a finger can make it return to the abdominal cavity. This is an infant hernia. Why does a hernia hurt: When you have a hernia , you will feel uncomfortable, especially when coughing, lifting heavy objects or standing for a long time. This is because the tissues in your body are pushed into the weak spot under a certain amount of pressure, and the pressure increases as more tissue is pushed into the weak area of the abdominal wall to feel pain. When the hernia develops further and worsens, you will feel severe pain. What are the dangers of hernia: in mild cases, there is a local lump with occasional swelling and pain; in severe cases, it can be accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, constipation and abdominal distension; if not treated in time, part of the protruding small intestine will be bad due to stopping blood flow; in more serious cases, it will lead to infection, causing sepsis and threatening life. Therefore, except for a few special cases, hernias should be surgically repaired as soon as possible. What to do if you have a hernia: The onset of hernia is more common in children and the elderly, with the majority of male patients. In elderly patients, a lump that should not be present in the abdominal wall at the beginning and disappears after lying down is almost certainly a hernia. In serious cases, it will lead to infection and sepsis, which is life-threatening. Therefore, except for a few special cases, hernias should be surgically repaired as soon as possible. Because the inguinal canal is not atretic until 6 months after birth, it is possible for an infant hernia to heal spontaneously within 6 months of age. However, if the hernia does not disappear or tends to increase in size after one year of age, it is unlikely to heal on its own. Therefore, surgery should be considered for hernia in infants over 6 months of age. Can a hernia heal on its own: A hernia cannot heal on its own, although it does not get worse in a short time. Early or mildly symptomatic patients may experience pain, lower abdominal cramping, indigestion, and diarrhea. As the condition progresses, the mass may become lodged in the scrotum, causing difficulty in moving and walking. In severe cases, it can cause intussusception, which can lead to intestinal necrosis and even life-threatening if not treated in time, and the only way to completely treat this disease is surgery. How to treat: The only way to cure a “hernia” is surgery. Therefore, patients who have a hernia should go to a regular hospital for surgical treatment. There are two types of surgical treatment: traditional surgery and tension-free hernia repair. Traditional surgical treatment is due to the distance between the tissues of the “missing hole” and the tension caused by forcible suturing, which can lead to severe pain and recurrence after surgery, with a recurrence rate of 10-15%. After the operation, the patient needs to be bedridden for three days and rest for three weeks after discharge, and cannot participate in heavy physical labor for three months. Therefore, traditional surgery has been gradually eliminated. Many hospitals now use tension-free hernia repair, which has a small incision, causes little damage to the patient, has a small stripping surface, falls into the category of minimally invasive surgery, has no suture tension, and does not destroy the normal anatomy. This treatment is simple, fast, with few complications and little pain for the patient. It can quickly resume normal physical activities, and the patient can be discharged three days after surgery and resume normal physical activities after one week, with a recurrence rate of <1% after surgery, which greatly improves the quality of life of the patient. The synthetic material implanted is currently the only biological implant material recognized by the World Health Organization as meeting the eight criteria for implant materials. Therefore, the majority of hernia patients should remove their fear of surgery and go to the hospital for surgical treatment in a timely manner. Most of the surgery can be done under local anesthesia, so the surgeon only needs to do some routine checkups before the surgery; there is no need to cure diseases that cause increased abdominal pressure; no fasting; no enema; no urinary catheter. You can eat after the surgery under local anesthesia. No need to lie down for three days and no need to compress the incision. Young patients with no underlying disease can get out of bed after surgery, but bed rest is recommended for 1 to 2 days without restriction of activity. Postoperative anti-inflammatory for 2 to 3 days, no stitches need to be removed and the patient can be discharged 2 to 3 days after surgery. With traditional surgical treatment, it takes months or even six months before the patient can return to normal work. Tension-free hernia repair surgery solves this problem, and patients generally need only a few days of rest and can return to normal work in 1 to 2 weeks for those who work lightly; for those who work heavily, a slightly longer recovery time is needed. The surgery is followed by an outpatient review 1 week and 1 month after surgery. Laparoscopic hernia repair Laparoscopic hernia repair is a tension-free repair that has been developed in recent years. In this approach, a hernia patch is laparoscopically placed behind the inguinal "notch" to strengthen the posterior wall of the inguinal canal. This approach minimizes postoperative recurrence because the patch is placed in the deepest part of the groin. Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has the advantages of mild pain, small incision, early return to activity, and no postoperative scars in the inguinal region, but has the disadvantages of requiring general anesthesia and high cost. Laparoscopic hernia repair is most advantageous for bilateral hernia and recurrent hernia.