Dr, Towfigh lichentstein safety? Todd Harris

[MeshorNot]

Dr. Towfigh I live in Laguna Niguel and was recently found to have an inguinal hernia. I saw doctor Todd Harris for a consult and he is recommending mesh repair with local anesthesia. He said this is an easy surgery with a quick recovery and a very low rate that it will come back. I read a lot of bad things about mesh. But he says he uses a new type of mesh that has never caused him a single problem. He said all the mesh horror stories are lawyer hyped. He does 400-500 surgeries per year mostly open with mesh- never sees chronic pain–never. Hernias come back more with keyhole approach I asked him about no mesh surgery Desarda and shouldice and he said he didnt recommend it. Lots of pain -long recovery and higher rate that it will come back. He says he doesnt even warn patients about mesh problems because he never sees any. I found this forum looking for other doctors in the LA area and i see that you have a lot of experience. I am an male 6’1 180 pounds fit and pretty active -gym and cardio. He said he thought the hernia was direct. its no super large. If I came to see you what would you recommend? My main concern is I don’t want to have long lasting pain and I cant figure out which way to fix it with least risk of longterm pain. I see you do a lot of surgeries and a lot of different types. I know you need to see me to be sure but Dr Harris said medium sized hernia likely direct. Slim and athletic male -based on what you have seen what is the best approach to ensure i dont get ongoing pain? Are the new meshes like Dr Harris says? rarely cause issues. ? thank you for your help and i may come to you soon

[MeshorNot]

oh i am 58 if it matters.

[Good intentions]

Ask Dr. Harris for the brand name and manufacturer of the mesh that he uses. If he won’t tell you that is not a good sign.

The lawsuits are real. People are being awarded millions of dollars. Any surgeon that says it’s all “hype” is avoiding reality. That’s not a good sign either.

Good luck.

[JHawley]

Mesh thanks for posting. I have seen Dr. Harris’s videos on the net. I just called his office and his nurse confirmed that they have never seen a problem with mesh. She said they have patients coming from other doctors with mesh that had metal in in and that caused pain for the patients. But they use a synthetic mesh that is lightweight and has never caused a problem. I asked the nurse closely to be honest. And she seemed very upfront. she said she had been working there three years. Dr harris does 10-15 surgeries per week and has nearly all good reviews though he looks super young. He uses general anesthesia even for open mesh. I wish i could advise you what to do. If you stick around here you will find there are no good answers at all. If Dr Twofigh could speak to the complication rates of open mesh i would love to hear it

[Good intentions]

I think that Dr. Harris is just promoting marketing literature from long ago that has been disproven. “Lightweight mesh”. He also says that he does lap surgery, which is what I remembered.

He is not doing anything special. Just common run-of-the-mill hernia repair. The odds will be the same as what the large studies show.

Hernia Surgery

“…
Although basic open surgical hernia repair is still an important option for some patients, every patient should consider being seen by a surgeon who can perform advanced laparoscopic hernia surgery and who uses the newest lightweight mesh. Only a small handful of the hundreds of general surgeons in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego have the experience to perform hernia surgeries using laparoscopic techniques and use cutting edge lightweight mesh.
…”

[MeshorNot]

Is there a way to repair a hernia that is acknowledged to be the best overall? Open mesh? Lap mesh? Shouldice? Which has the best overall chance of fixing my hernia without pain or having it come back? Dr. Harris says all the evidence points to open mesh or lap mesh. He prefers to do laproscopic. EVery doc in my area says he is the best for hernia repair. Would love to hear others ideas. I am open to traveling. Not sure how far.

[MeshorNot]

Good Intentions what do the large studies show about mesh vs no mesh surgery? Is there any consensus on the best and safest fix? The studies I found seem to say laproscopic surgery is lowest risk for chronic pain

[Good intentions]

In your first post you said that Dr. Harris would do mesh under local. That would be an open procedure. In the post above you said laparoscopic. So, it’s not clear what you heard from Dr. Harris.

As far as your last question, I would read the latest threads started by JHawley and Dconfused77. He/she has asked the same questions and received many many replies.

Good luck.

[Watchful]

I get the sense that the surgeon makes more difference than the technique.

Also, for particular patients, one technique may be a better fit then others. For example, a Marcy may be better than mesh for a skinny young woman. For an old person who may be more vulnerable to the risks of general anesthesia, Lichtenstein may be better than lap mesh. For someone with a large hernia or bad tissue quality, it may be wise to stay away from tissue repair.

[MeshorNot]

Thanks he says he will use progrip mesh of lap not sure about open. I am seeing David Chen getting mentioned as the best mesh doctor. Good intentions do you have any thoughts about risks of open mesh? I can’t find any good data

[MarkT]

I don’t believe for one second that someone who does hundreds of repairs per year has not seen a single case of chronic pain…and not even discussing potential mesh-related problems with patients is unethical (at best), if not negligent, IMHO.

[Watchful]

I also find it very hard to believe, but I don’t understand what is going on. Are such surgeons simply lying, or suppressing the truth in their own heads, or they have a very extreme definition of chronic pain, or what? Maybe they have magical hands and technique that lead to such perfect results which are so different from what the studies show, but that’s hard to believe.

[Alephy]

This mindset has been very common throughout history ie the doctor or surgeon elevates themselves to a higher standpoint where the patient is the lesser subject. There is an intrinsic detachment so the patient’s pain does not reverberate. Add to that the salesmanship part of the industry and you get the picture

[Good intentions]

One way it can be done is to redefine the words used. Pain becomes discomfort. Or if the word “chronic” is not used by the patient it’s not chronic pain. It’s a disingenuous way to promote a certain view. Or to just not take calls from patients, or to let the front office take all of the calls. Plausible deniability. Another way would be to consider anything after a certain time period as not resulting from the hernia repair. Or to do triple neurectomy as standard practice. Numbness until time passes.

Or he could threaten people that give bad reviews with legal action. He seems to be all over the various review sites, personally responding to the negative ones.

It is definitely hard to believe that the same mesh in his hands somehow gives vastly superior results to when it is used by others. If the results are true other surgeons should be seeking out training from Dr. Harris.

He does get a very surprising number of reviews. Almost like somebody is prompting people to leave a review. Very strange. Very aware of public perception.

Here are some review sites and at least one report of a “bad outcome”.

https://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-todd-harris-ynctg?cid=07ss_pes

From 3/2018 –

“I had a hernia repair by Dr. Harris. It was not a pleasant experience. I ended up with a very poor outcome. I needed to get another surgery to repair the mistakes that he made. I would not recommend this physician to anyone.
”
“Dr. Harris’ Reply –

Jim, I am sorry to hear that you had a poor outcome. Although we strive to perform complication free surgery, there is no such thing and there are cases which have outcomes that we do not desire. I am unaware of any ‘mistakes’ that I have made recently so any feedback from you or your new surgeon would be appreciated. I certainly hope that you are on the road to a successful recovery at this point. Best, Dr. Harris [email protected]”

https://www.sharecare.com/doctor/dr-todd-s-harris#reviews

[drtowfigh]

Happy to see you to help figure out the best repair for your needs. Someone of your body habitus and activity, there are so many options for you.

There is not a single surgeon who hasn’t had a complication.

[MeshorNot]

Thanks Doctor.

[MeshorNot]

Doctor Towfigh can you tell us how many tissue repairs you do in a year? I understand you do mostly laproscopic and robotic procedures. I think my mind is made up to either go with an open mesh repair or a tissue repair- so wondering what you offer for that. And how many you do per year? Dr. Yunis told me he does 200 per year. But a shouldice surgeon can do 700 per year. Not sure how many makes you well qualified?

[Good intentions]

What are the details of your original diagnosis and what type of activities to you plan in the future? What type of work do you do? You are simplifying everything down to three words: hernia, mesh, non-mesh. That won’t work well for making a decision.

” I live in Laguna Niguel and was recently found to have an inguinal hernia.”

[Author]

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