Indirect hernia anatomy

[MNW67]

Indirect inguinal hernias are very common in men.

I have been searching for a good diagram explaining it all and finally found one.

With an indirect inguinal hernia, some of the contents of the abdomen pass through the inguinal canal into the groin area. That is why it shows as a bulge in the groin. This diagram shows clearly where the canal starts and ends with two red circles. They occur because in many men the inguinal rings fail to close properly during fetal development and the opening left behind gets bigger over time.

 

[MNW67]

This is where they are located in the body:

 

[MNW67]

Direct inguinal hernias are different and less common. They are caused by a weakness in an area of muscle in the lower abdominal wall. Direct inguinal hernias mainly occur in older men.

 

[motorbiking]

If it's only small and not causing any problems the advice I was given is don't let them fix it. I have a friend who is on his second repair and wishes he hadn't bothered.

This might help

https://practice365.co.uk/uploads/sites/1284/2023/10/Inguinal-hernia-exercises.pdf

 

[blup]

Had one done like that a few years back and don’t notice it all after the recovery. They shove a piece of plastic in. It’s a pretty routine op in the hands of a skilled surgeon.

 

[MNW67]

If it's only small and not causing any problems the advice I was given is don't let them fix it. I have a friend who is on his second repair and wishes he hadn't bothered.

Was your friend's done by keyhole?

Since the late 1990s, they have fixed most of them with mesh. There only seem to be two specialist hernia surgeons in England who routinely don't use mesh. A lot of people say the mesh causes problems, although the medical establishment disagree. Mesh repairs are much easier for general surgeons because they basically just sew or staple a sheet of mesh over the hole rather than trying to close the hole with sutures.

 

[MNW67]

Had one done like that a few years back and don’t notice it all after the recovery. They shove a piece of plastic in. It’s a pretty routine op in the hands of a skilled surgeon.

Was it keyhole or open surgery?

 

[motorbiking]

I'm not sure, but he had a problem with the mesh slipping. When I had an ultrasound prior to having a hydrocele repaired last year the Sonographer (term?) said you have a small groin hernia, they are quite common, my advice is don't let them fix it. The mesh often slips and leads to complications. When I spoke to the surgeon, he looked the guy up and said oh I know him well, yes that is good advice.

This is all just hearsay in the end, your situation might be very different.

 

[MNW67]

I think I would prefer no mesh. Longer recovery, but less chance of chronic pain in a sensitive area.

 

[motorbiking]

Is conservative therapy an option?

 

[pete01]

I had one done when I was 21, it's been fine ever since, to be honest it was ok when I had it, didnt hurt at all but I suppose it would have got worse over time.

 

[blup]

Was it keyhole or open surgery?

Open iirc, before keyhole had taken off. Think I was under for a good few hours. The only disappointment was all the stories about getting high from the pre meds weren't true, at least in my case.

 

[MNW67]

I've had it for years. It popped out whilst I had spent months doing a lot of very heavy lifting. It's not small, but it hasn't grown any bigger. I've been very careful since.

I occasionally look into getting it fixed. This is the first time I've really looked into the anatomy. I found it very interesting, which is really why I posted this thread.

 

[MNW67]

Open iirc, before keyhole had taken off. Think I was under for a good few hours. The only disappointment was all the stories about getting high from the pre meds weren't true, at least in my case.

Do you remember what device they used. Was it a piece of flat mesh or a plastic plug like the ones below:

 

[pete01]

I had flat mesh, I went in on the morning and was home by 2 ish. Only downside is had to have 8 weeks off work, saying that it was great, during the world cup.