The Institute is a specialized Hernia care centre that brings new technology and advanced treatment techniques including laparoscopic and robotic surgery. A hernia is a medical condition that occurs when an organ or fatty tissue squeezes through a weak spot in a surrounding muscle or connective tissue. It leads to a formation of a bulge, swelling or lump like formation. The same can cause pain, bloating and discomfort. There are different types of hernia including groin (inguinal, femoral) hernia, umbilical (navel) hernia and ventral or incisional hernia (following weakness of a previous surgical scar).

The causes of these could be congenital (since birth), muscle weakness disorders, excessive smoking, chronic cough, lifting of heavyweights without adequate groin support and strenuous activity following abdominal surgery.

Open surgery was the conventional treatment of hernia. The protruding content was replaced in its original cavity and the weakness or defect closed using sutures. Artificial prostheses called meshes were used to reinforce and strengthen the repaired defect.

However, in large incisional hernia, where multiple previous surgeries were performed and the defects were maximum with weakness of muscle wall, the procedures were quite extensive with increased postoperative morbidity and high recurrence rates. The meshes are also expensive and not affordable by all.

Speaking about the advancement in hernia treatment, Dr. Premkumar Balachandran, Senior consultant minimal access, bariatric and robotic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said, "The management of hernia has now undergone a paradigm shift. The advent of minimal access or laparoscopic surgery has been a boon to both the surgeon and the patient. The nomenclature of ventral hernia management is now referred to as "abdominal wall reconstruction". Complex reconstructions, abdominal wall component separation surgeries, regular groin and ventral hernia can now be treated with minimal morbidity by the laparoscopic and robotic techniques."

He further added, "A variety of new techniques such as SCOLA (Subcutaneous Onlay Mesh Repair), laparoscopic E TEP repair with TAR (Enhanced View Extra Peritoneal Repair with Transverses Abdominis Release), TARM (Trans Abdominal Retro Muscular), IPOM and IPOM plus (Intra Peritoneal Only Mesh) repairs, can be successfully performed in this centre."

The future is bright for patients suffering from all types of hernia, as the centre has a replenished armamentarium of technology and techniques to produce a good outcome.