Why Not Others

• Requires 4 to 6 inches of incision at the groin.
• Generally very painful, because of muscle spasm.
• Considerable post-operative swelling of tissues in groin, around the wound.
• Requires cutting through the skin, fat, and good muscles in order to gain access for repair,  which in itself causes damage.
• Frequent complications of wound hematoma, wound infection, scrotal hematoma, neuroma...
• Placing the mesh in front of the muscular defect is not logical (can be blown away).
• Usually takes 6 to 8 weeks for recovery.
• Sometimes long term disability, may follow, e.g. neuralgia, neuroma, testicular ischemia.
• Bilateral inguinal hernias require 2 incisions, doubling the pain; or 2 operations.
• Recurrent inguinal hernias are very difficult to operate open, and more liable to complications.
• The size of mesh used in open methods is limited by natural fusion of muscles.
• All meshes and plugs shrink with time, and this works against all open methods.
• Overall national recurrence rate is 10 %.