What is a Ventral Hernia?
A ventral hernia occurs in the abdomen, and is a fragment of intestines or other organs that push through the abdomen muscle wall. These most often are called incisional hernias because they usually develop along an area where an incision (cut) for surgery has occurred. Some people have ventral hernias that result right after a surgery on the abdomen has taken place and others may develop them years after a surgery.
Common symptoms of a ventral hernia include a perceivable bulge at the stomach. Some people may feel pain at the hernia site when they do things like lifting heavy objects or coughing. Symptoms may be very mild, or they can become greatly complicated and pose a medical emergency. If the hernia becomes strangulated this means it is getting insufficient blood to the protruding tissues or organs. This can cause very severe pain and some people will have vomiting or nausea.
While a ventral hernia always deserves medical attention, symptoms of a strangulated hernia require immediate medical care. This is a very serious condition. It usually necessitates surgical repair right away.
When a person suspects a ventral hernia, he or she should see a physician, as mentioned. The doctor will probably examine the area, take medial history, including getting history on prior surgeries, and may order tests like x-rays or other more extensive scans. These tests can give a good sense of the amount of protrusion and the tissue or organs that may be involved in the protrusion.
There are lots of surgeries performed to repair ventral hernias, about 100,000 a year in the US alone. Most of these surgeries don’t take place under emergency circumstances, as many people will notice these hernias right away and report them to doctors. Surgery is usually the main treatment for the majority of ventral hernias, because they are likely to worsen if ignored, given the weakness in the muscles of the abdomen caused by prior surgery.
A couple of methods exist for surgical repair. These include doing open surgery on the abdomen to replace the bulging organs and to shore up the abdominal muscles. Some ventral hernia repairs can be performed laparoscopically, which is less invasive. One of the difficulties in repairing ventral hernias is that the skin tissue and muscles that have already been operated upon are weaker. Sometimes people have a surgery, and then require another one if a ventral hernia develops after the repair.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
