I. How can I tell I have a hernia? A hernia is a bulging mass in the left and right lower abdomen or at the original surgical incision, which is initially small and gradually increases in size. It is more obvious when standing and can disappear completely when lying down. Initially, the patient may not feel any discomfort, but some patients may experience lower abdominal swelling and local pain after prolonged standing or walking. What are the hazards of adult hernia? According to statistics, about 15-25% of hernias can become incarcerated. After the formation of incarcerated hernia, abdominal pain is intense and even symptoms of intestinal obstruction such as colic, nausea and vomiting can occur. If an incarcerated hernia is not treated and relieved in time, and then a strangulated hernia is formed, serious consequences such as intestinal perforation, peritonitis and intestinal necrosis may occur, and even life threatening. Therefore, even patients with hernia without any conscious symptoms should receive surgical treatment. 3. Do hernias always need surgical treatment? There is no possibility for adult hernia to heal itself. The hernia will only get bigger and bigger, and it is impossible to maintain the status quo or shrink it. Therefore, surgery is the only way to cure a hernia. Therefore, surgery is the only way to cure hernia. The folk methods such as belly button patch, injection and hernia belt are not fundamentally effective in treating hernia, but may delay the surgery and cause serious consequences. When should a hernia be treated by surgery? A hernia is like a hole in a garment; it will only get bigger if it is not mended, and the bigger it is, the harder it is to mend. As the saying goes, “If a small hole is not mended, a big hole will suffer”, therefore, hernia surgery should be performed as soon as possible after detection. There are many patients who, due to fear of surgery, do not come to surgery until the inguinal hernia enters the scrotum and affects their life seriously after it is as big as a ball. The originally uncomplicated situation becomes a difficult and risky surgery, and although most patients get through the surgery and recovery, there are also patients who develop surgical complications. V. Should the elderly receive surgical treatment? As the population ages, the number of elderly patients with hernia is increasing. In fact, there are many different surgical options for hernias and the surgeon will evaluate the patient before surgery to choose the most appropriate procedure. Elderly hernia patients in their seventies and eighties can tolerate hernia repair surgery if they do not have serious medical conditions, can take care of themselves, and do not suffer from panic or chest tightness when going upstairs. Those who are not contraindicated to undergo general anesthesia are recommended to undergo trans-laparoscopic minimally invasive hernia repair; while those with poorer physical condition can undergo hernia repair surgery under local anesthesia. VI. What are the advantages of lumpectomy hernia repair? The laparoscopic minimally invasive hernia repair only makes three small incisions of 25px, 12.5px, and 12.5px in the abdomen, and the operation does not destroy the normal abdominal wall level. As a result, the surgery is less invasive, quicker to recover and less painful. Patients are usually hospitalized for 2-5 days and can get out of bed the day after surgery and return to work in 1-2 weeks. The lumpectomy can also detect any hidden hernia on the opposite side of the patient that has not yet protruded, and patients with bilateral hernia and recurrent hernia are particularly suitable for lumpectomy hernia repair. Can hernia repair recur after surgery? Compared with the traditional “suture” based hernia repair, modern hernia surgery is based on “repair” and therefore the recurrence rate is very low, usually around 1%.