Femoral hernia repair is surgery to repair a hernia near the groin or upper thigh. A femoral hernia is tissue that bulges out of a weak spot in the groin. Usually this tissue is part of the intestine.
In surgery to repair the hernia, the tissue is pushed back in, and the weakened area is sewn closed or strengthened. This repair can be done with open or laparoscopic surgery.
You will probably receive general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) for this surgery. If your hernia is small, you may receive local anesthesia and medicine to relax you. You will be awake but pain-free.
In open surgery:
Your surgeon may use a laparoscope instead of doing open surgery.
All femoral hernias need to be repaired, even if they do not cause any symptoms. If the hernia is not repaired, the intestine can get trapped in the hernia (called an "incarcerated" or "strangulated" hernia).
When a hernia gets incarcerated or strangulated, blood supply to the intestines can be cut off. This can be life threatening. If this happens, you would need emergency surgery.
Risks for any anesthesia are:
Risks for any surgery are:
Risks for this surgery are:
Always tell your doctor or nurse if:
During the week before your surgery:
On the day of your surgery:
Most people can go home on the same day as the surgery, but some may need to stay in the hospital overnight. If your surgery was done as an emergency, you may need to stay in the hospital a few days longer.
After surgery, you may have some swelling, bruising, or soreness around your surgical cut. Taking pain medicines and moving carefully can help.
The outcome of this surgery is usually very good. The femoral hernia returns in less than 3 out of 100 patients who have this surgery.
Femorocele repair; Herniorrhaphy; Hernioplasty - femoral
Malangoni MA, Rosen MJ. Hernia.In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 44.
Updated by: Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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