Demographic, classificatory, and socioeconomic aspects of hernia repair in the United States.

Although demographic and socioeconomic data regarding the natural history of hernia disease are difficult to find, studies from the National Center for Health Statistics show that approximately 700,000 groin herniorrhaphies are completed annually in the United States. More than 60% of these operations are performed on an outpatient basis. Classification schemes relative to hernia repair serve as an important communication tool when retrieving and reporting operative results in a more comprehensive, reliable, and meaningful fashion. Part of the growing movement toward ambulatory surgery includes the construction of office-based operating suites by general surgeons. Because of the increasing number of hernioplasties completed in the outpatient setting, the use of a laparoscopic approach for hernia repair does not appear to provide any cost-saving benefits over existing conventional techniques.