1.The promotion application and historical significance of minimally invasive surgery for inguinal hernia in Tibet
Zhaxi YUNDAN ; Pubu CIREN ; Pubu LUOJIE ; Ouzhu LAMU ; Youkang CHEN ; Basang ZHUOGA ; Pingcuo SANGBU ; Xire YUNDAN ; Danzeng OUZHU ; Pubu CIREN
Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery 2023;22(9):1066-1068
The Tibet Autonomous Region (hereinafter referred to as Tibet) is located on the border of the country, with a harsh natural environment and an average elevation of over 4 000 meters. Currently, the total permanent population of the region is about 3.65 million, distributed over 1.2 million square kilometers of land. The land is vast and sparsely populated, making it extremely difficult to allocate medical resources. The above objective reasons make it difficult for patients in Tibet to seek medical treatment in a timely manner, and there are multiple complications when seeking medical treatment. In terms of inguinal hernia disease, the proportion of patients with inguinal incarcerated hernia is relatively high. Due to poor medical conditions, patients have poor awareness of seeking medical treatment, and lack of understanding of the disease, leading to serious complications and even death caused by inguinal incarcerated hernia. With the releasing of clinical guidelines, advances in equipment and materials, and updates in treatment concepts and anatomical understanding, laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has been vigorously promoted. The promotion of new medical technologies in Tibet is relatively lagging behind. In recent years, with the strong support of the China Hernia Society and the Chinese Hernia Collegen of Surgeons, minimally invasive treatment related to hernia disease has been promoted in Lhasa since 2016, especially for inguinal hernia. At present, minimally invasive technology for treating inguinal hernia has been widely promoted to tertiary hospitals in Tibet. Through publicity, patients can seek medical attention in a timely manner, significantly reducing the incidence of inguinal incarcerated hernia. Based on litera-tures and clinical practice, the authors explore the promotion, application, and historical significance of minimally invasive surgery for hernia in Tibet.