Shirin Towfigh, M.D.

HerniaTalk LIVE is a weekly Q&A hosted by me, hernia surgeon expert, with invited special Guests to answer your hernia-related questions. This week, my Guest Panelist is Dr Maurice Nahabedian, plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Dr Nahabedian practices in Virginia and has extensive experience in abdominal wall reconstruction. Topic: Hernias after breast reconstruction, also diastasis recti and other abdominal wall reconstruction.... Join me this Tuesday 02/09/21 at 4:30pm Pacific time (GMT -8) right here as a Facebook Live or register via Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_cXFu3wu9QFWgbr8UIhNQvg

For those of you who watched our HerniaTalk Live session last week on Giant hernias, you heardus talking about using the patient’s own tissue as flaps to repair hernias. Well, this is what a flap looks like. Many of you who joined us Live felt the use of one’s own tissue would be a great alternative to mesh for hernia repairs. Well, let’s be very clear and reiterate the point we made on HerniaTalk Live: the use of a tissue flap is: last and worst case scenario not ind...icated for any elective operations highly morbid (eg, can have weakness of the tissue flap donor site, the leg, etc) cosmetically deforming a significant interference with your quality of life Using a flap is a decision we may have to make in extreme end-stage hernia repairs, such as with traumas, fistulas, and some mesh infection situations. It is certainly not par with the use of mesh at all and should not be considered as an alternative to mesh use when mesh is indicated. And lastly, this is a super complex operation. It should only be done by hernia specialists in collaboration with highly trained reconstructive plastic surgeons. I hope these pictures adequately represent the complexity of what we sometimes have to deal with. Many online during HerniaTalk were excited about tissue flaps as alternatives to mesh. They are not.

Guess who won First place in the Intuitive robotic #SimNow virtual games at this year’s Academic Surgical Congress? Yes! Our very own Dr Adam Truong, resident Cedars-Sinai . Congratulations! He’s a future colorectal surgeon and star . So all you The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons - ASCRS fellowship directors, pay attention!

Oh no! Mahboobeh has another hernia! Last time, she was on hold forever with her hernia surgeon. and their front office wasn’t nearly as nice as mine. Let’s check that ultrasound. I’m really worried about Ms Mahboobeh. She seems like such a nice lady!... (Thanks for keeping us entertained, btw. You’re awesome! I hope all my hernia lovers follow you!)

Just another routine hernia operation? Look very carefully ... Join the discussion about this operation and other hernia-related topics this Tuesday on HerniaTalk. Our Guest Panelist is Dr Andrew Wright , hernia specialist at University of Washington on Dec 22, 2020 at 4:30pm Pacific (GMT -8). This is a FB Live event right here on my home page. I expect a lot of interesting questions to be answered! #itsnotjustahernia #hernia #herniasurgery #herniarepair #zoo

As the last HerniaTalk LIVE session of 2020, we have a very fun and unique hour planned for you. Dr @andrewstonewright, surgeon, and hernia specialist at the University of Washington, will join me to answer your questions about hernia-related topics. He will also share his experience operating on a gorilla at the local zoo who had a hernia. I guarantee this will be a fun one!... This is a FB Live event. Please go to my homepage at 4:30pm Pacific this Tuesday 12/22/2020, to participate. You also have the option of registering to participate via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_FkY8rCuOSeuIry2LpKUHBw #hernia #gorilla #zoo #herniasurgery #herniatalk #itsnotjustahernia

I’m so privileged that my office, the Beverly Hills Hernia Center, is in the Golden Triangle of City of Beverly Hills - Government. My neighborhood has the world’s highest concentration of Plastic Surgeons. That makes my job so fun! When I collaborate surgically with my plastic surgery colleagues, all I have to do is walk to the OR nearby. The most common situation is a patient with a hernia who also needs a tummy tuck. I repair the hernia at the same setting ...as the tummy tuck. I really enjoy when we surgeons can operate together. If you have a hernia and need plastic surgery or a tummytuck, I work with some of the world’s most talented plastic surgeons. If you have a hernia and are considering plastic surgery of any kind, I can work with your plastic surgeon. Contact my office to schedule your hernia repair (Info in my Bio).

Note the new changes in My Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, visitation policy. Also, all of my elective operations that are scheduled at Cedars-Sinai are on holdalso due to demands of the COVID19. Fortunately, for now, my operations at our outpatient surgery center 90210 Surgery Medical Center are continuing as planned. Please stay safe, everyone. Our healthcare system is under A LOT of strain.

Not near? No problem. I offer Online Consultation to those who cannot physically come in to see me for surgical consultation. I’ve helped 100s of patients this way, by reviewing your history, all your images, and helping you come up with a diagnosis and plan of care. Contact my office (310-358-5020) or email ([email protected]) to initiate the consultation. Ask for Sheila. ... #SayNoToChronicPain #Expert #consultation #surgeon #pelvicpain #chronicpelivicpain #CPP #meshremoval #mesh #ItsNotJustAHernia

This is a graph from our newly published paper: #Mesh: Social Media and Its Influence on Perceptions in Hernia Repair in The American Surgeon. What it shows is that Twitter discussion about pelvic/vaginal mesh started way before that of hernia mesh. Once the FDA upgraded pelvic/vaginal mesh for stress urinary incontinence to a Class III high risk device, Twitter discussion dropped down. Meanwhile, discussion of hernia mesh increased. We predict that just as the social media... trend of hernia mesh follows but lags that of pelvic/vaginal mesh, then it’s possible the FDA decisions related to the fate of hernia mesh will also follow, with a similar lag. #herniamesh #mesh #pelvicmesh #vaginalmesh U.S. Food and Drug Administration #itsnotjustahernia #twitter To read the entire article: https://doi.org/10.1177/0003134820964459 Negin Fadaee Dezzie Tk H

Welcome to HerniaTalk **LIVE**. Our Q&A today is with Dr. Edna Ma. Dr. Ma is a Board Certified anesthesiologist and superstar. Our questions are focused on all aspects of anesthesia for your hernia surgery. They include discussing do's and don'ts before surgery as well as what is safe and not safe to take prior to anesthesia. Also, towards the end, we will have a special treat for Shark Tank and Survivor fans and those of you who recognize Dr. Ma as the superstar that she is...! Thank you to those who submitted questions and participated live. #itsnotjustahernia #herniatalk #anesthesia #LMA #TAPblock #opioids #generalanesthesia #IVsedation Edna Ma Survivor Fan Page BareEase

Have you wondered how to examine for a hernia in a gorilla ? Well, we have just the #herniasurgeon to answer it for you . Join me this Tuesday on #HerniaTalk **LIVE** Q&A with @andrewstonewright, surgeon and hernia specialist (typically for humans) at University of Washington. Join me Dec 22, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific (GMT -8) right here as a FB Live event or register here for Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_FkY8rCuOSeuIry2LpKUHBw ... This will be fun! #herniatalktuesdays #herniasurgery #herniarepair #zoo

First day wearing my new Snibbs shoes for work and it’s been great! I first bought a pair for my Mom because I know and respect Snibbe Orthopedics and wanted to try out their new #Snibbs shoes. Well, she’s addicted : her knee pain improved, her stability is better than ever. She wears it in the house and when out. So I bought a pair for myself! So far it’s been comfy. It’s cushioned at the heel and sole but lightweight and low profile. I’ll wear it next in the OR to se...e how it helps my back and knees when standing for a long time. Use Code BHHC40 upon checkout to get $40 off. Type it in the Comments when shopping online at www.snibbs.co. And no, this is not an ad. I’m just a big fan and hope this shoe gets the attention it deserves. #NotAnAd #surgeon #backpain #kneepain #shoesforwork Socks courtesy of a #gratefulpatient.

This is the #wordcloud we made when analyzing public Facebook posts that discuss surgical #mesh. If this interests you, then you will really love reading my newly published article: https://doi.org/10.1177/0003134820964459 #socialmedia #SoMe #SoMe4Surgery #herniamesh #itsnotjustahernia U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Another new publication! We really had fun doing this research. We used the social media trends in discussing pelvic/vaginal mesh and their relationship to changes in U.S. Food and Drug Administration classification and regulation of vaginal #mesh for #SUI in order to make predictions on the future of #herniamesh. Read it to see where we predict the future of hernia #mesh. Plus, be wary of #socialmedia posts. We show that most are negative and driven by law firms filing clas...s action lawsuits against the mesh industry. Read the whole article here: https://doi.org/10.1177/0003134820964459 #itsnotjustahernia #510k #highriskdevice #twitter #facebook #classaction Negin Fadaee Dezzie Tk H Southern California Chapter, American College of Surgeons

Yay! We have Dr Edna Ma as our Guest Panelist this week on #HerniaTalk **LIVE**. Dr Ma is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist. She will be fielding all your questions about #anesthesia and your hernia. What are the risks of general anesthesia? Can my #herniasurgery be done under local anesthesia alone? How do you prevent me from waking up during surgery? What medications can I take or must I stop before surgery? Our Q&A is this Tuesday at 4:30pm Pacific time (GMT-7) right h...ere on my FB homepage. You can also go to register for it via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_yUOHTzb_QUKmNmHeVFAaPg . It’s free! Plus, we have a surprise discussion this time, for you fans of Survivor and Shark Tank . #itsnotjustahernia Edna Ma Survivor Fan Page

This is a half hour before the Covid testing opens close to me. They are amazingly hard workers and the system is so easy to follow. And it’s free. Thanks to amazing efforts of County of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti I get tested regularly, as a surgeon, to make sure I remain safe for the care of all my patients. You can go to this site for your own free testing: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/... #Itsnotjustahernia #covid #itsnotjustavirus #covidtesting #safetyfirst

Flashback: This was posted early in our Beverly Hills Hernia Center history. We still have this much fun taking caring of all of you!... #itsnotjustahernia #hernia #expert #chronicpain #herniasurgeon Bel Capati

Welcome to HerniaTalk **LIVE**. Our Q&A today is with Dr Aali Sheen, hernia surgeon and specialist in groin pain and sports hernias in Manchester, UK. Today's Q&A focused on evaluation and treatment of groin pain, especially sports hernias. We also discussed mesh complications and mesh reactions. Thank you to everyone who participated. ... #herniatalk #groinpain #sportshernia #mesh #inguinalhernia #complications #itsnotjustahernia

PSA: - Vote Early - go to Iwillvote.com if you have any questions - subscribe to ballottrax.com if you’re voting by mail - participate on HerniaTalk **LIVE** Q&A with Dr Aali Sheen this Tuesday at noon Pacific (GMT -7) to learn about groin pain and sports hernias.... Dr Sheen is a hernia specialist in Manchester, UK. He is one of few such specialists in the United Kingdom, so we changed the time for this HerniaTalk to accommodate our European audience. To participate, join me right here at noon (Pacific) or register free on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_wU0xayLHSUq8PcKnhcay-A #groinpain #soortshernia #hernia #herniasurgeon #inguinalhernia #manchester #itsnotjustahernia Fortius Clinic

A CT scan can provide a lot of information on #hernias that sometimes gets missed on physical exam. This information may be valuable prior to #herniasurgery. . In this CT scan, note the 2 hernias. One is an #umbilicalhernia and the other is a larger supraumbilical hernia. Usually these can be repaired without mesh of under 1.5cm. . But this CT provides much more information, valuable to me as a #herniasurgeon as I plan for #herniarepair:... . 1. The supraumbilical hernia is greater than 1.5cm, so a simple suture repair would not be adequate and has a high likelihood of failure 2. The hernia is within a wide #diastasisrecti, which means the repair will have an even higher chance of failure. . So, knowing this information from the #CTscan, the patient’s surgical options now include #abdominoplasty or #tummytuck and #laparoscopic repair with #mesh if she doesn’t want the tummy tuck. . #knowledgeispower #evidencebasedmedicine #itsnotjustahernia See more

Welcome to HerniaTalk **LIVE**. Our Q&A is with Guest Panelist Dr @David Josephson, urologist surgeon and prostate specialist, in Los Angeles. Our discussion focused on prostate problems, especially as they relate to hernias. We went into details regarding symptoms, evaluation, and treatment of prostate problems, including prostatitis, enlarged prostate (BPH), and prostate cancer. We dispelled some myths about hernias and prostate surgery. Thanks to all who participated! Join us each week with another Guest Panelist and specialist relevant to hernias.