Around 600,000 hernia surgeries are performed each year in the United States, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons reports. Most are inguinal hernias, which occur in the groin, but hernias can also affect the umbilicus. Hernias occur when part of the abdominal wall weakens, allowing part of the intestine or the covering over the intestine to slip in the weakened area. The abdomen may weaken because of previous surgery or because of excessive strain on the abdomen, such as pregnancy, obesity or heavy lifting. Complications, some severe, can occur during any surgical hernia repair.
Complication Rates
Complications occur at different rates, depending on the type of surgery and the location. Incisional hernia repairs have complication rates of about 13 percent. About 10 percent of people undergoing inguinal hernia repair experience complications.
Timing of Complications
Most complications occur in the postoperative period and have no long-term effects. Complications such as pain, superficial infection or problems urinating usually resolve within a few days after surgery. More serious problems such as infection in the peritoneal cavity, pneumonia, blood clots in the legs or breathing problems may also occur in the postoperative period but require more complex medical care. Long-term complications include pain from scar tissue formation or recurrence of the hernia.
Open Surgery Versus Laparoscopic Complications
Hernia surgery can be done as an open surgery or as a laparoscopic procedure, using small incisions and lighted scopes. The two types of surgery can cause different complications. Laparoscopic surgery requires general anesthesia and takes longer than open surgery, so anesthesia-related complications occur more frequently. Open surgery leaves a larger incision, which takes longer to heal. Pain is more severe after open surgery, and complications related to immobility, such as blood clots or pneumonia, may also occur more frequently after open hernia repair. The primary complications of any surgery, infection and bleeding, occur less frequently with laparoscopic surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons states.
Surgical Location
Inguinal surgeries may cause damage to the spermatid cord structures due to the close proximity to reproductive organs, the Encyclopedia of Surgery warns. The scrotum may turn black and blue and testicles may shrink, Healthcommunities.com reports.
Recurrence
Recurrence of the hernia is one of the main long-term complications of hernia surgery. Incisional hernias recur in around 3.4 percent of people who undergo laparoscopic incisional hernia repair, while between 25 and 52 percent of incisional hernias repaired during open surgery recur, according to the Encyclopedia of Surgery. Between 10 to 15 percent of inguinal hernias recur in adults, while only 1 to 5 percent recur after umbilical surgery, the same site reports.
