News Feed Discussions Thoughts on robot-assisted laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery, and open vs. lap Reply To: Thoughts on robot-assisted laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery, and open vs. lap

  • Good intentions

    Member
    January 25, 2018 at 1:55 am

    Probably depends on the time-frame of “recovery”. Open can be done using local anesthesia, so you’re wide awake through the whole procedure. Laparoscopic is always general anesthesia so you have to wait to get your senses back. So on the day of surgery, recovery is probably faster for open.

    I think that open tends to use less material also. You can only reach so far in to the hole from the outside. So the short-term recovery might also be faster. Laparoscopic uses a lot of material, covering a lot of internal area.

    On the other hand, I think that you can get back to increased exertion faster with laparoscopic because the entry holes are smaller and because there is so much mesh coverage. So if recovery means back to work, laparoscopic might be better.

    I had bilateral laparoscopic TEP surgery and was released for full activity at 22 days. I didn’t have any trapped gas that I could feel. I did have lots of fluid buildup though. The dissection peels open a large area in the abdomen which all leaks a little bit of fluid, I believe. Felt like I had a giant water balloon in my gut. Of course, you’ve probably read my other posts so you know that there’s more to it in the long-term. If you’re focused on recovery time I think that you’re making a big mistake. Those couple of weeks or months of extra time will be long-forgotten if you have a mesh reaction.

    My understanding of robotic surgery is that it basically gives the surgeon a steadier, more controlled instrument. So they can focus on fine details that they otherwise would not chance. I think that’s why it’s good for mesh removal, because they can get close to arteries and nerves and other parts that they would otherwise avoid.