Surgical Services

Surgical Repair of Hernias

A hernia is a condition where the inside layers of the abdominal muscle has weakened, resulting in a bulge or tear. This weak area allows a part of the intestines to protrude through the abdominal muscle and is a potentially serious problem.

Both men and woman can get hernias and they can develop at any age. Hernias may result from birth defects, previous incisions, heavy lifting, obesity, pregnancy, persistent coughing, or straining with bowel movements.  

Every year, more than half a million hernia repairs are performed in the United States. Hernias occur most commonly in the groin (inguinal hernia), the navel (umbilical hernia), and at the incision site of a previous surgery.

Inguinal Hernia

The most common hernia is the Inguinal or groin hernia and can occur on the left, right or both sides of the lower abdomen. Surgical repair of the inguinal hernia is extremely common with over 600,000 cases being performed in the United States

Hiatal Hernia

A hiatal or diaphragmatic hernia develops in a small opening in the diaphragm where the esophagus or food pipe joins to the stomach. A Hiatal hernia allows part of the stomach to move up into the chest and stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus causing heartburn.

Umbilical Hernia

Umbilical hernias occur in and around the belly button or naval.  They are usually present from birth but may not be noticed until later in childhood or even into adulthood.  While umbilical hernias in infants usually close without any intervention, this is not the case in adults. Over time they tend to enlarge and become more problematic.

Minimally Invasive Repair of Hernias

Dr. Bovard uses minimally invasive surgery to repair most hernias. Laparoscopic hernia repair requires several tiny incisions (each about the size of a pencil eraser) through which surgical instruments and a small video camera are inserted. 

Dr. Bovard locates the hernia and surgically closes the weak area using a prosthetic mesh. The mesh reinforces the area of weakness and reduces the tension on the repair.  A tension free repair is less likely to allow the hernia to reoccur.

The advantage of this laparoscopic approach over more traditional open methods is that because the incisions are much smaller than traditional methods there is less discomfort and faster recuperation.  Also, it is often possible to repair bilateral hernias (those on the left and the right of the abdomen) during a single procedure using laparoscopic methods.