BMJ 1995;311:630-631 (2 September)

Letters

Open herniorrhaphy is safer and cheaper than laparoscopic surgery

EDITOR,--R S Taylor and T M Loosemore write that I failed to make a case against laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.1 I maintain that we do not need the endoscopic method when we have an open mesh technique that can be performed under local anaesthesia, is suitable for patients with considerable comorbidity, and has a rapid recovery rate and the lowest recurrence rate reported. The patient is awake and feels safe during and after the procedure. What more would a patient wish for?

I am not against comparative trials, but there are sufficient data suggesting that prospective comparative trials might be unnecessary. Common sense is still needed in surgery. The most recent multicentre report of elective laparoscopic hernia repair in 3229 carefully selected patients, reports a rate of major complications of 1%; two deaths (due to myocardial infarction and liver failure); one case of vascular injury, 53 cases of neuralgia, 37 . . . [Full text of this article]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Incompetence develops gradually
John P Wattis
BMJ 1995 310: 1605. [Extract] [Full Text]

Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ