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New surgical method a relief for hernia patients

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Doctors at the prestigious All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here have found that minimal access surgery (laparoscopic repair) of hernias in the abdominal region is superior to open mesh repair in terms of significantly reduced blood loss, wound complications, hospital stay and cosmetic outcome.

The result is an outcome of a study conducted between April 2003 and April 2005 wherein 66 patients with incisional primary ventral and recurrent hernias were randomised to receive either open mesh repair or laparoscopic mesh repair, informed AIIMS doctors at the three-day conference of the Indian Hernia Society that concluded on Sunday.

With nearly a decade of experience in the area of video surgery, surgeons now confidently approach almost every part of the human body with cameras and video monitors. Instead of making a large cut into the skin and underlying muscles, they simply make small holes and insert a rod shaped telescope and undertake some of the most advanced surgeries with ease, the study said.

"The advantages of laparoscopic surgery are several. First, since the overall trauma to the skin and muscles is reduced, postoperative pain is less, allowing patient to get out of bed sooner. They are often able to walk and move around within a few short hours following their operations," said Prof. M.C. Misra of the Department of Surgical Disciplines at AIIMS.

However, doctors feel that there was a need for additional training for surgeons, as it requires operating in a different environment and leaving the familiar territory of a three-dimensional operating field to working on a two-dimensional flat video display. Another major issue was the cost containment as not every hospital can afford to offer it. These disadvantages can be overcome with continued research and development, Prof. Misra observed.

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