RICHMOND, Va. -- Thanks to robotic technology, Dr. Mukong Adeso, a surgeon at Retreat Doctors' Hospital, is performing a surgery that was once painful and often resulted in a slow and difficult recovery. Today, hernia repair surgery has patients back on their feet in days.
"It's a life changing thing," Dr. Adeso said. "You no longer have issues with the hernia."
A hernia happens when an organ breaks through a tear or weak spot in the tissues that surround it, resulting in a small bulge. Common areas include the groin, belly button, and previous surgery scars.
"Over a lifespan of heavy activity [such as] coughing, sneezing, lifting, you always have this push against the abdominal wall and in men, our groins are weak spots, so over time it can get weaker and you end up with a defect," Dr. Adeso said.
Doctors had performed open surgery or standard laparoscopic surgery to repair a hernia, but robotic technology now allows surgeons to perform hernia repair through tiny incisions with increased precision because of three dimensional images that surgeons can see inside the abdomen.
Dr. Adeso said many of his patients are home the same day as their surgery.
"Recovery is quicker, there's less pain, less chance of infection, you're home quick, you're back to work quick and you use less pain medication," Dr. Adeso said.
While hernia conditions are quite common, Dr. Adeso said his patients no longer have to fear getting them repaired.
Working For Your Health is a partnership with HCA Healthcare. Serving the greater Richmond area, Chippenham, Henrico Doctors’, Johnston-Willis, Parham Doctors’, and Retreat Doctors’ Hospital are part of HCA Virginia. Watch for Working For Your Health reports Tuesdays on CBS 6 News at 7 p.m.
Watch for Working For Your Health reports on CBS 6.
