What Is Non-mesh Hernia Repair for Inguinal Hernias?

An inguinal hernia is when tissue bulges through your abdomen. This often happens along the inguinal canal, which is in your pelvis. Inguinal hernias are the most common type of hernia.

Inguinal hernias are usually treated with surgery. Your surgeon will push the herniated (bulging) tissue back into place. Then, they will use stiches, special surgical mesh or tissue from your body to keep the herniated tissue in place.

There are a few types of surgery that can repair inguinal hernias. Surgeons can do a:

• Minimally invasive surgery with mesh that uses several small cuts; sometimes they may use robotic tools
• A single-cut surgery that uses mesh to support your tissue; this is a traditional method
• A single-cut surgery that uses tissue from your body instead of mesh; this is called non-mesh repair

How Non-mesh Repair Works

Surgeons use natural tissue from your body to repair your inguinal hernia instead of mesh. Because it uses tissue from your body, this treatment often has better outcomes than other options. It also means that there is no foreign object in your body, which reduces your risk of infection.

With non-mesh repair, only about 1% of primary inguinal hernias recur (come back after treatment).

Learn More

At Northwestern Medicine, we have surgeons trained in non-mesh repair. Schedule a consultation to see if non-mesh hernia repair is right for you. Please call 630.668.0833 (TTY: 711).