Men's Health

Standard Hernia Surgery Works Best in Men

More Not Necessarily Better

In an editorial that accompanies the study, Danny O. Jacobs, MD, MPH, of Duke University Medical Center, says these findings show that most general surgeons can achieve excellent results using conventional hernia surgery techniques under local anesthesia.

"They also remind us that substantive short-term and long-term complications may occur, even after 'simple' hernia surgery," writes Jacobs.

But he says the study also raises many important questions about how the surgeon's and other hospital employees' experience with hernia surgery affects how well the patient does.

"The relationship between the volume of procedures performed and the outcomes is not straightforward," writes Jacobs. "It is apparent that some hospitals that do few hernia surgeries have good outcomes and some hospitals that do many hernia surgeries have relatively poor outcomes," he explains.