“Do all inguinal hernias require surgery?”
I am a 42 year old male. I want to know if all inguinal hernias require surgery?
5 Answers
Most of the time surgery is reserved for those hernias that are large, or cause pain and significant discomfort.
I typically recommend surgery when hernias become symptomatic (associated with pain and discomfort) or increase in size. Asymptomatic hernias (hernias without any symptoms) can usually be monitored safely. Hernias do not ever go away once they are present without surgery. Hernias do tend to get larger and more uncomfortable over time.
All inguinal hernias should be repaired surgically. There are times when we do not repair hernias due to co-morbid conditions or patient specific other factors, but these are exceptions where the risks of surgery outweighs the benefits.
The only major risk of a hernia (e.g., inguinal) would be if the bowel was stuck and could not come out. That would require emergency surgery.
No. Only if you have pain, incarceration or strangulation.
