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No Mesh Hernia Surgeons
I have an inguinal hernia and am looking for non-mesh repair surgeons. This forum showed up in Google searches and has been a wonderful resource, but some of the information regarding surgeons appears to be from ~2016. I live near Salem, OR. I’ve seen references to Dr. Robert Martindale in Portland, but he’s semi-retired now and not accepting new patients. Dr. William Brown in Fremont, CA appears to have retired (I can’t find his Website that others have mentioned). Does anyone have recommendations for no-mesh surgeons in Oregon, Washington, or Northern California? I’d prefer someone within driving distance if possible.
I have friends/family in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky if anyone knows of good non-mesh options there. I could potentially travel there if necessary. I appreciate any suggestions!
One final thing: it seems that Shouldice is the gold standard method for non-mesh. Should I only consider surgeons who specifically do Shouldice? I’m thin and active, so I believe I’m a good candidate for Shouldice.
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13 Replies
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Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I’m looking for a US-based provider, since long flights are difficult for me due to chronic spine/nerve issues (in addition to the hernia). Does anyone have experience with the following surgeons:
-Dr. Todd S. Harris (Newport Beach, CA): He seems to do more laparoscopic with mesh, but his Website says he does no-mesh. He’s in my insurance network (Anthem BCBS PPO), so that’s appealing.
-Dr. Jonathan Yunis (Sarasota, FL): He seems to be very well known and does mesh and no-mesh. He’s not in my network, so don’t know the cost. Reviews seem to be very positive. I’m going to call on Monday to get more info.
-Dr. David Grischkan (Cleveland, OH): He does exclusively Shouldice repairs, but I’ve read people having issues with his billing and pricing, so it’s a little concerning.
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I talked with Dr. Yunis office when I scheduled my appt. He does not take insurance for the surgery, but the CT Scan lab and the anesthesiologist he uses do.
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not sure but i am posting this again in case you don’t see my other post but Dr Nguyen does do both mesh and non mesh. he knows at least 5 or 6 different no mesh techniques too. he is in Los Gatos , near san jose. i got phasix mesh from him a year ago and have not had any issues with it .
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The Shouldice Hospital is having a free mobile clinic in Vancouver, Canada in December. If you can wait it might be worth the drive to discuss your hernia repair options with them. But… keep in mind that your return trip would expose you to the US border agents and the attendant risks these days. Good luck!
https://shouldice.com/mobile-exam-clinics/
shouldice.com
Mobile Exam Clinics - Shouldice Hernia Hospital
Mobile Exam Clinics - Shouldice Hernia Hospital
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Good Intentions, who would you go to in US for a no-mesh inguinal hernia repair?
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This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by Steve.
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It would depend on the type and size of hernia. I’d probably start over with researching what the various surgeons are doing these days. There are surgeons out there, not well known, like Todd Ponsky, who uses a non-mesh technique for indirect hernias. His specialty is pediatric surgery but he has repaired adults. He would probably also know of the various non-mesh techniques since he is not married to mesh like most of today’s surgeons.
It’s still a major challenge to make the choice. Surgeons have given up trying to find a better repair method. Their focus is on speed of the procedure and disclosure, to displace liability. Mesh has taken complete control. The device makers have shouldered the burden of the lawsuits, since they have the money for the lawyers. Surgeons don’t have to worry about that aspect anymore as long as the disclosure forms get signed. And as they look around they see that “everybody is doing it” so it feels okay to use mesh on everyone. It’s the “best” that is available to them, even though they know that it’s not really good enough.
My cynicism has not diminished. The mesh situation blends in with much of what is happening in society today. There’s still hope though. You just have to put in a lot of effort.
Honestly, I would go to South Korea to have any hernia repaired. Dr. Kang uses a “tailored” approach, apparently,, meaning that he assesses each hernia individually, and applies what he believes to be the best method of repair for that situation. Even Shouldice surgeons uses a conveyor belt type approach, as I understand things. Each repair is the same, and meant to do more than just repair the hernia that they see, but also to prevent any type of future hernia. They do more than is necessary, from what I’ve read.
Make sure that you get a good consultation before you make a decision. Unfortunately, surgeons have to “make the sale” in order to keep their practices going so it might be hard to get an honest opinion without offending, plus a typical consultation only pays 15 minutes to the surgeon if it’s billed to insurance. Not much time answer your questions so take a written list with you. And take charge of the conversation. It will probably be uncomfortable. I wish that I had a more straighforward answer. Good luck.
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I have a direct inguinal hernia and I was also looking for a no-mesh surgeons. From all the research I’ve done here and on other sites, there are about 3-4 hernia experts in US with a good track record in Shouldice repair. In my case, I will see dr. Yunis in Florida. I wouldn’t want to travel to Korea or Germany (where there a few Shouldice experts as well). I prefer a US solution, in case there are post-op issues to be addressed.
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This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by
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Here are some of the old threads about Gibbeum Hospital.
https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/dr-kang-gibbeum-hospital-stephen-kwon-and-more-review/
https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/non-mesh-with-dr-kang-in-korea-journal-updates/
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Finally, since you’re on the west coast apparently, Dr. Kang of the Gibbeum Hospital might be worth a look. That is where I woudl go if I had a recurrence. People say that the experience is easier than expected, despite the language difficulties. You can find instructions on the forum with detailed suggestions.
https://gibbeum.com/main/main.php
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Here is Dr. Brown’s web site. His practice was acquired by Dr. Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen did not change much on the web site, so it’s not clear what type of repair he uses. I think that I’ve seen that he likes the absorbable meshes, but the web site still shows no-mesh repair.
I don’t know if the reference to Dr. Nguyen in Los Altos refers to the Dr. Nguyen in Los Gatos.
https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/hernia-surgeons-using-phasix/
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Dr. Billing might. He mentioned that he would do a no-mesh repair for me if I had a recurrence after mesh removal (I have not, since removal seven+ years ago). Apparently he does robotic surgery now. I have not corresponded with him since about five years ago. He does not advertise much for hernia repair but he does do them and he has a word-of-mouth reputation for mesh removal. He is a great guy, definitely worth contacting. He is in the Seattle area of Washington.
https://www.transformweightloss.com/meet-our-team/
https://www.transformweightloss.com/weight-loss-solutions/hernia/
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Here is the list of surgeons I found who currently do no-mesh repair in US: Dr Yunis, Dr Sbayi, Dr Reinhorn, Dr Fronza, Dr Towfigh, Dr Nakhjo, Dr Iskandar, Dr. Tomas. A very small list. I think only Dr. Towfigh is on the West Coast.
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This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by Steve.
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my Dr. Nguyen definitely does no mesh repair. and he knows at least 5 or 6 different techniques. he said he makes that decision when he does the operation. he is in Los Gatos. near San Jose ca
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This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by
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