"New research finds that a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat hernias results in less chronic pain and a faster recovery when compared to a traditional approach. One expert however said the older strategy may still be the best option in some cases. Its not onesizefitsall said Dr. L. Michael Brunt a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. One repair isnt appropriate for all circumstances. Hernias occur when part of an internal organ such as the intestines bulges out through muscle. At issue are the surgical approaches that physicians use when a patient suffers from a hernia in the groin.  The procedures are designed to reduce the bulge of the hernia and make a patch so it doesnt protrude again. Its as if you had a leak in a tire thats ballooned out Brunt said. Youll patch it to prevent it from continuing to protrude. The study led by researchers at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam the Netherlands examined two procedures.  One procedure known as total extraperitoneal inguinal hernioplasty is performed under a general anesthetic and uses a laparoscopic approach through a small opening. It was developed in the s Brunt said.  The other approach is older and is performed through a  to .inch incision in the groin Brunt said. It can be done under local anesthesia. The study authors didnt examine a third approach known as patch and plug he said. In the study researchers randomly assigned  hernia patients to one of the two surgical procedures. Almost all the patients were men and their average age was around . The researchers followed up with  percent of the patients after an average period of five years. Hernias recurred in  percent of laparoscopic and  percent of the traditionalprocedure patients. Recurrences decreased to . percent and  percent respectively if the procedures were performed by experienced surgeons. After five years  percent of those who had the traditional procedure reported chronic pain compared to  percent of the laparoscopic group. The study confirms what a lot of surgeons who do both procedures know already Brunt said. Theres less pain and a bit of a faster recovery from the laparoscopic procedure. Still the vast majority of patients do well regardless of the approach he said. Why use the traditional approach if the laparoscopic technique is better in some ways The traditional approach may be appropriate when its too risky to place patients under general anesthesia Brunt said such as in elderly patients and those with multiple health problems. Brunt said the costs of the two procedures are comparable although the laparoscopic procedure may cost more. The findings appear in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery. More information For more about hernias http try the U.S. National Library of Medicine. SOURCES L. Michael Brunt M.D. professor surgery Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis March  Archives of Surgery"