A hernia is the total or partial protrusion of a viscera or other anatomical formation through an opening in the wall, in this case the abdominal wall. The professionals of the Abdominal Wall Unit, of the General Surgery and Digestive System service at Parc Taulí, are responsible for treating patients with inguinal hernias - when a segment of the intestine or fat protrudes and becomes lodged in the scrotum - and incisional hernias or complex eventrations - as a result of poor post-surgical healing, the fat or intestine protrudes under the skin when the person contracts their stomach. Both hernias cause discomfort and great damage to the people who suffer from them.
The Abdominal Wall Unit, formed by Dr. José Hidalgo, Dr. Juan Carlos Garcia and Dr. Marta Alberich, is continuously trained to offer patients the most appropriate and innovative surgical techniques and treatments, to guarantee good care and quality of life. That is why in 2021 they began to practice laparoscopies for inguinal hernia, having performed more than 1.200 interventions, placing Parc Taulí as one of the leading hospitals and that performs the most interventions using this technique.
In 2023, the Unit incorporated robotic surgery for the treatment of complex eventrations. With this minimally invasive technique, three small incisions are made to place a retromuscular mesh, avoiding direct contact between the mesh and the viscera. This reduces the risk of adhesions, intestinal obstruction and mesh migration. In addition, the patient does not have to go through open surgery again, which is more traumatic. Since the implementation of this minimally invasive technique, 84 people have been operated on.
According to the head of the general surgery section, Dr. José Hidalgo, the use of robotic surgery offers more advantages “due to the use of more precise instrumentation, 3D visualization of the damaged part and the abdomen and greater ergonomics of the suture, facilitating complex dissection and closure maneuvers".
But, the improvements are not only surgical, but also in the patient's recovery. "People who operate with the surgical robot have a better recovery, due to the reduction of post-surgical pain; there is less morbidity in overweight patients and the hospital stay is shorter. Guaranteeing recovery at home, where they are calmer and with a lower stress level”, acknowledges Dr. Hidalgo.
Now, the Unit's next challenge is to have a third surgical robot to expand the range of patients who may be candidates for robotic surgery.
During 2025, professionals in the Abdomen Unit operated on 725 patients, of whom 430 had inguinal hernias and 145 incisional hernias.
