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Dr. Proctor – out of curiosity, do you tend to recommend mesh repair over non-mesh in a typical inguinal hernia patient? I am about to schedule surgery and it seems most surgeons I have spoken with obviously recommend mesh, even your colleagues. But no one seems to really know for sure what the incidence of recurrence is in non-mesh repairs these days or the complication rates beyond three years or so, and at three years it seems they are similar to mesh repairs. I had considered a non-mesh repair, but it seems most surgeons suggest the incidence of recurrence long-term is probably quite high, especially if you get it when younger like myself. And it sounds like recovery is much worse. And there is the fact that most surgeons rarely do non-mesh repair so the skill level and practice level is low which could impact effectiveness, especially given that it sounds quite complicated.
I know this forum is mostly filled with those who have had problems and a general ‘don’t use mesh ever’ attitude. But from what I can tell the actual surgeons posting here save for maybe one typically recommend mesh for the most part. Just wanted to clear that up and get your opinion on it. Would you generally recommend mesh repair to a younger patient with ‘typical’ inguinal hernia over non-mesh all else being equal, assuming it is done by a skilled and experienced surgeon who is very familiar with inguinal hernia repairs?
Don’t mean to hijack the thread. But it seemed somewhat related. I have a very clear bulge and starting to have symptoms when standing for long periods of time. Mainly just trying to convince myself that getting a mesh repair isn’t a terrible choice , while understanding clearly that complications are an unpredictable possibility.