Message from the past president of the American Hernia Society

Excerpt

Hernia surgery is one of the most common general surgical procedures performed in the United States and globally. Worldwide, approximately 20 million inguinal hernias are repaired annually. In China, 2,000,000 inguinal hernias are diagnosed every year. It is estimated that about 18,000 surgeons in the United States routinely perform hernia repairs. Approximately 1,000,000 hernia repairs are performed in the United States every year. About 800,000 of these repairs are inguinal hernias. Due to the proliferation of improved techniques, advances in biomaterial and the need for better education on these advances in hernia repair for both the practicing surgeon and surgeon in training, the American Hernia Society (AHS) was started in 1997. The mission of the American Hernia Society is to provide a professional forum for the exchange of information and education regarding historic, current and future methods of diagnosis and treatment of abdominal wall abnormalities. Since its inception, the AHS has grown to over 1,000 members. …