While far more common in men, they are quite frequent in women as well. These hernias affect people of all age groups, from infants to seniors.

Four different types of hernias account for almost 100% of the hernias repaired by surgeons:

Type	Location	Frequency	Defect
Inguinal (learn more)	Groin	93%	Fascia
Incisional (learn more)	Entire Abdomen	5%	Fascia
Ventral/umbilical	Upper Abdomen	1%	Fascia
Hiatal (learn more)	Internal (diaphragm)	1%	Diaphragm

Traditional methods of hernia repair typically require a general anesthetic, a four to six week painful recovery and are associated with failure rates as high as 20% to 25%..

More recently, laparoscopic (keyhole) hernia has been popularized as a great advancement in the repair of hernias. However, major drawbacks of this method include the need for a general anesthetic, insertion of catheters in the bladder and stomach, and failure rates in the vicinity of 6% to 15%.

Using a modification of the Shouldice (Canadian) repair, the surgery is performed with laser using local anesthesia. Patients are discharged within one to two hours following the procedure. This "maintenance free" surgery requires no followup." Most patients are able to perform any activities without restriction two to three days following surgery. These activities include jogging, weightlifting, golf, resumption of heavy work, etc.

Evidencing our specialization in the field of hernia surgery, our failure rate is well under 1% in thousands of cases. It's little wonder that we have become a national referral center for hernias, attracting patients from as far as California, Texas, Florida and Alaska — just to name a few. Many patients have had successful hernia surgery at the Hernia Center of Ohio after having had as many as 8 to 10 failed repairs at outside institutions performed by other hernia doctors.

Dr. David Grischkan, the medical director of the center, trained in Canada and pioneered the development of outpatient hernia surgery in the United States. With a personal experience of more than 10,000 surgical repairs, Dr. Grischkan is regarded as a leading hernia doctor and expert in hernia surgery. He has lectured extensively at numerous U.S. universities and in Europe.

Call 1-800-MD4-HERNias to learn more or contact us to request a free brochure about hernia surgery.