A very relevant question , as , with the rapid advancements in the techniques of Hernia repair,
and the evolution of Hernia surgery as a subspecialty, who does the hernia surgery will
significantly affect the out come.

Hernia is a very common condition,affecting 15-20% of the general population , with the
prevalence of inguinal hernia alone being 1.5-2million. Add the various other types of Hernia,
and the figures are astounding (1).

However the devastating affection on the quality of life of a patient with Hernia and the
financial burden happen when there is a recurrence or other complications after the initial
surgery.

13% of all groin hernia surgeries are for a recurrent hernia. (2)

Recurrence and other complications can be due to patient related factors like smoking, chronic
cough, liver cirrhosis, obesity , to name a few. However ,surgeon related cause of recurrence
cannot be underestimated. Surgeons with less than 3 years experience ,or who have done less
than 60 cases are more likely to have increased recurrence rates. On the other hand ,surgeons
with more experience, who have been trained and performed adequate numbers of various
types of open and laparoscopic repairs have significantly lower recurrences and complications.
Today Hernia repairs have advanced with the technological innovation of the mesh and the
advent of Laparoscopic surgery.Hernia surgery has caught attention worldwide, and there are
many societies all over the world dedicated to the advancement of this specialty.
The key factor for a successful Hernia repair is an experienced General Surgeon, who has
performed adequate numbers of open and Laparoscopic Hernia surgeries, and can choose and
tailor the technique needed for a particular patient.

References
1. Inguinal Hernia Repair : towards Asian Guidelines. Lomanto D, Cheah W K, Faylona J M, et al
Asian Endosc Surg 2015:8:16-23.

2. Surgical repair in recurrent inguinal hernia. Anil Sharma,Ankush Sarwal.Annals of Endoscopic
and Laparoscopic surgery. June 2017: vol 2.