The Our Lady of the Lake Comprehensive Hernia Center, part of the Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge, is a highly recognized and accredited center of excellence in Louisiana for hernia care. At our center, you’ll find expertly trained, specialized surgeons who can provide top-of-the-line treatment for hernias, even if you have had hernia surgery before.
Our team is among the leading surgeons in the region for robotic, laparoscopic, minimally invasive and complex abdominal wall reconstruction surgery, providing a full scope of comprehensive services to hernia patients throughout their health journey — and making us a destination for the best in quality hernia care and abdominal core health.
Has your hernia reached a point where surgical treatment is right for you? Request a consultation today.
A hernia is a bulge that occurs through the muscles of the abdominal wall – it can be a bulging intestine or other organ, or even fat. Weakness in the muscle wall allows these bulges to push through. In adults, the most common types of hernia are inguinal, incisional and hiatal.
Symptoms can vary. Sometimes the onset is gradual, with no symptoms other than the development of a bulge. In others, the hernia may present with a sudden giving away of the abdominal wall, which can be painful. Chronic groin pain is also a common indication of a hernia.
In adults, hernia symptoms can appear as back pain, pain in the location of the hernia itself or nausea. Some patients may feel a soft lump in a post-surgery scar or in your groin or abdomen. Pressing the lump or lying down may make it disappear. This lump may be painful when you lift heavy objects, bend over, cough or sneeze.
In some cases, an incarcerated hernia gets so constricted that the blood supply is cut off and the tissue swells. Increasing pain or a tender lump that won't go away indicates that the hernia has strangulated. When this occurs, the intestine can die quickly, leading to a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention.
While chronic groin pain is not a direct indicator of a hernia, it can be caused by an existing hernia and can be a result of a hernia surgery. Groin pain may occur immediately after an injury or may be more gradual over a period of weeks or even months. Groin pain might be worsened by continued use of the injured area. The most common cause of groin pain is also known as a sports hernia, which can result after strenuous physical activities. Direct and indirect causes of groin pain can include arthritis, lymph nodes, UTIs and more.
Hernia repair surgery, known as herniorrhaphy or hernioplasty (when a mesh is used), is usually recommended when a hernia becomes painful and affects daily activities or if its presence causes additional health issues like intestinal blockages and limited blood flow. At Our Lady of the Lake, most hernias can be repaired with laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery.
This method uses three or four small incisions, through which a small camera and surgical devices enter to secure a mesh-like patch over the affected area. Using the laparoscope’s thin, flexible, tube-like fiber optic camera, the surgeon can guide instruments directly to the area of the abdomen that needs repair. This technology allows the surgeon to view the surgery site with great detail, resulting in an enhanced level of precision. This minimally invasive approach benefits the patient with minimum disruption to healthy tissue and the tiny incisions can generally be closed with just one or two stitches. The world’s first laparoscopic operation for incisional hernia repair was performed right here at Our Lady of the Lake by the Hernia Center’s own Dr. Karl LeBlanc in 1991.
This method uses the da Vinci Xi Surgical System’s magnified 3D HD vision system and tiny wristed instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human wrist. This allows our surgeons to repair the hernia with even more precision and smaller incisions than traditional surgery. In most cases for minimally invasive repair of hernias, this has become our preferred method.
In both laparoscopic and robotic-assisted procedures, patients can benefit from the following:
Abdominal wall reconstructions are most often performed on patients who have had unsuccessful hernia repair operations. The goal of reconstruction is to treat and repair the hernia, reconstruct the abdominal wall tissues and reinforce the integrity of the muscles.
This procedure may be recommended for patients who experience the following:
MD, FACS
MD, FACS, Medical Director, Robotics Institute
MD, FASMBS
MD, FACS, FASMBS
MD, FACS, FASMBS
