News Feed Discussions Best surgeon to fix recurring hernia after mesh removal? Reply To: Best surgeon to fix recurring hernia after mesh removal?

  • Good intentions

    Member
    May 9, 2023 at 5:27 pm

    My first inclination to go with Dr. Kang is based on the interactions over the years on this forum. You really should just search his name and go back to the early posts on the forum and follow them up to today. He started his career in hernia repair as a patch and plug mesh practitioner. He saw the damage that the plug caused as patients started coming back with problems. He went back to the pure tissue repair and studied the problems that were being expressed about it. He is of the opinion that the problems with early methods like the Bassini repair are due to surgeons modifying (cutting corners) on the original method. He calls today’s Bassini repair the corrupted Bassini method. Apparently, as I understand things, the method he uses today is based on those early proven methods, but with his own subtle changes, based on his years of experience performing hernia repairs. And he addresses each situation based on what he finds during surgery, besides having what looks like a very modern set of imaging machines so that he knows what to expect before he even starts. Unlike many surgeons today who promise to wing it to the best of their ability if they find something unexpected.

    But, to be frank, Dr Wiese looked like a good option also. I added a few posts to another thread after Freeman posted about him.

    One odd problem that you’ll find when discussing the big names in hernia repair is that many of them got roped in to creating the “International guidelines for groin hernia management”, the sponsored effort by Ethicon and Bard, two big mesh makers at the time. Which begin by stating that mesh repair is the preferred hernia repair method. But with very little supporting data for that claim. Each surgeon who was part of that effort has their name tied to the document that has pushed mesh on to the world, and several of them seem to be walking back their support. But the Guidelines have become gospel in the world of hernia repair. The standard of care.

    In short, there is no clear answer. You have to use a blend of personal and professional trust to make a choice. Honest well-meaning people can be fooled also.