ventral hernia

A ventral hernia is a bulge of tissues through an opening of weakness within your abdominal wall muscles. It can occur at any location on your abdominal wall. Many are called incisional

hernias because they form at the healed site of past surgical incisions.

Full Answer

What is a ventral hernia, and how is it treated?

Ventral hernias cannot heal on their own. Most commonly, ventral hernias are surgically repaired in order to avoid the risk of the intestine becoming strangulated (cut off from the body’s blood supply). Strangulation is considered a medical emergency. A ventral hernia’s symptoms are determined by its location in the abdomen and can include sharp pain that may be present during physical activity, vomiting (in the case of incisional hernias), and constipation. Ventral hernias are typically ...

How to fix a ventral hernia without surgery?

Ventral (Incisional) Hernia

• Incidence. Of the 5 million abdominal surgeries performed each year, 11-23% of patients develop ventral hernias.
• Diagnosis. To diagnose a ventral hernia, the doctor takes a thorough medical history and conducts a physical examination.
• Treatment. ...
• Potential Complications. ...
• For More Information

What are the symptoms of a ventral hernia?

Symptoms in Men

• A bulge you can see or feel
• Aching pain in the area
• A feeling of pressure
• A tugging sensation of the scrotum around the testicles
• Pain that worsens with activities that add pressure to the area, such as heavy lifting, pushing and straining

What is the difference between a ventral hernia and umbilical?

• Your age
• Existing health problems and medical history
• The size of the hernia
• The size and contour of the abdominal wall
• Amount of skin that can be used for the repair, and
• Presence of infection.

Can a ventral hernia heal on its own?

Ventral hernias cannot heal on their own. Most commonly, ventral hernias are surgically repaired in order to avoid the risk of the intestine becoming strangulated (cut off from the body's blood supply). Strangulation is considered a medical emergency.

What are the symptoms of a ventral hernia?

Ventral Hernia DiagnosisConstipation, "narrow" or "thin" stool.Lump or protrusion in the abdomen; you may be asked to stand and cough, which increases abdominal pressure and makes the hernia more pronounced and easier to diagnose.Nausea, vomiting, fever or rapid heart rate.More items...

When should I be worried about a ventral hernia?

The most serious type is known as a strangulated ventral hernia, where the intestinal tissue gets caught too tightly in the opening and cannot be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. When this occurs, blood flow is blocked and emergency surgery is required.

How serious is a ventral hernia?

Ventral hernias do not go away or get better on their own and require surgery to repair. In fact, without treatment, ventral hernias can get larger and worsen with time. Untreated hernias can become difficult to repair and can lead to serious complications, such as strangulation of a portion of the intestine.

Is ventral hernia repair a major surgery?

The operation is called laparoscopic or robotic ventral hernia repair. It is a type of minimally invasive surgery. You may recover faster from minimally invasive surgery and have less pain.

How do you fix a ventral hernia?

DescriptionYour surgeon will make a surgical cut in your abdomen.Your surgeon will find the hernia and separate it from the tissues around it. ... Strong stitches will be used to repair the hole or weak spot caused by the hernia.Your surgeon may also lay a piece of mesh over the weak area to make it stronger.

What does pain from a ventral hernia feel like?

Typically, patients with ventral hernias describe mild pain, aching or a pressure sensation at the site of the hernia. The discomfort worsens with any activity that puts a strain on the abdomen, such as heavy lifting, running or bearing down during bowel movements. Some patients have a bulge but do not have discomfort.

How long is recovery from ventral hernia?

While every person recovers differently, you should count on a full 6 week recovery period. You should plan on taking it easy, especially in the first few weeks after surgery.

What is the most common type of ventral hernia?

There are several different types of ventral hernias, including:Umbilical hernia. One of the most common types of hernias, an umbilical hernia is a bulge appearing at the navel or belly button.Epigastric hernia. ... Incisional hernia. ... Parastomal hernia. ... Spigelian hernia.

Can you exercise with a ventral hernia?

Although it is possible to safely exercise with a hernia, you are at risk for making the hernia worse. To be safe, we recommend you first schedule a consultation with an experienced hernia doctor to assess the severity of your hernia.

How long is hospital stay for hernia surgery?

Most routine hernia operations take about 30 to 90 minutes depending on the type and size of hernia. After surgery, patients spend about 1-2 hours in the recovery room before leaving the hospital to continue recovering from the comfort of their homes.

What doctor treats ventral hernias?

What type of doctor treats hernias? Your primary care provider can diagnose a hernia. In most cases, your doctor will refer you to a general surgeon for a surgery evaluation.

What Is A Ventral Hernia?

A hernia occurs when there is a hole in the muscles of the abdominal wall, allowing a loop of intestine or abdominal tissue to push through the mus...

What Are The Causes and Risk Factors For Developing A Ventral Hernia?

There are many causes including: 1. Weakness at the incision site of a previous abdominal surgery (which could result from an infection at the surg...

What Are The Signs and Symptoms of A Ventral Hernia?

Some patients don’t feel any discomfort in the early stages of ventral hernia formation. Often, the first sign is a visible bulge under the skin in...

What Is A Ventral Hernia?

A ventral hernia is a bulging of organs or abdominal tissue through a weak spot or opening in the abdominal wall. The abdominal wall is made up of...

What Are The Types of Ventral Hernias?

1. An epigastric hernia happens in the area between the sternum (chest bone) and the umbilicus (belly button). 2. An umbilical hernia happens in th...

What Causes A Ventral Hernia?

1. Trauma 2. Aging 3. Heavy lifting 4. Obesity or pregnancy 5. A birth defect that prevents the abdominal wall from closing 6. Straining or coughin...

What Are The Signs and Symptoms of A Ventral Hernia?

Signs and symptoms may disappear when you lie flat. 1. Swelling or a lump in the abdomen or over the belly button 2. Abdominal pain 3. Vomiting 4....

How Is A Ventral Hernia Diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider may examine your abdomen and feel for bumps. He may also ask you to cough or bear down like you are having a bowel movemen...

How Is A Ventral Hernia Treated?

1. Medicine may be given to treat pain. Ask your healthcare provider how to take this medicine safely. 2. Manual reduction of the hernia may be nee...

How Can I Manage My Symptoms?

1. Do not lift anything heavy. Heavy lifting can make your hernia worse or cause another hernia. Ask your healthcare provider how much is safe for...

When Should I Seek Immediate Care?

1. Your symptoms, such as pain or vomiting, get worse. 2. Your abdomen is larger than usual. 3. Your hernia increases in size or is purple or blue.

Where do ventral hernias occur?

This type of ventral hernia is an emergency requiring surgery. Hernias can occur in other places of your body and are named after the location where they occur — for example, a femoral hernia occurs in your upper thigh.

How to diagnose a ventral hernia?

For a complete diagnosis, a doctor will ask you about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. They may need to order imaging tests to look inside your body for signs of a ventral hernia. These may include: abdominal ultrasound. abdominal CT scan.

What is a strangulated ventral hernia?

In a strangulated ventral hernia, intestinal tissue gets tightly caught within an opening in your abdominal wall. This tissue can’t be pushed back into your abdominal cavity, and its blood flow is cut off. This type of ventral hernia is an emergency requiring surgery. Hernias can occur in other places of your body and are named after ...

Why are hernias called incisional hernias?

Many are called incisional hernias because they form at the healed site of past surgical incisions. Here abdominal wall layers have become weak or thin, allowing for abdominal cavity contents to push through. In a strangulated ventral hernia, intestinal tissue gets tightly caught within an opening in your abdominal wall.

What percentage of abdominal hernias are incisional?

According to UCSF, incisional hernias may occur in up to 30 percent of those who’ve had an abdominal surgery. Most occur at the site of a surgical scar. The scar tissue weakens or thins, allowing a bulge to form in the abdomen. This bulge is tissue or organs pushing against the abdominal wall.

What causes a hernia in the abdomen?

Certain people are born with a congenital defect — one existing from birth — that causes their abdominal wall to be abnormally thin. They are at a greater risk for developing a ventral hernia. Other risk factors for a ventral hernia include: pregnancy. obesity.

How to tell if you have a bulging abdomen?

You may see or feel a bulging or growth in the area that feels tender to the touch. If you experience any of the following symptoms, make sure to consult a doctor right away: mild discomfort in your abdominal area. pain in your abdomen. outward bulging of skin or tissues in your abdominal area. nausea. vomiting.

How to identify a ventral hernia?

To identify a ventral hernia, a health care provider may use multiple diagnostic techniques but will begin with a medical history and physical examination. The provider will inquire about and/or look for: Constipation, "narrow" or "thin" stool.

What causes a ventral hernia?

The cause of a ventral hernia can differ depending on its location as well as your medical history, health and personal anatomy. The weakness in the abdominal wall through which the intestine protrudes may be part of your body’s natural formation. It can also result from: 1 Chronic coughing, severe or chronic vomiting 2 Diabetes or other diseases 3 Heavy lifting 4 Injury or obesity 5 Pregnancy 6 Prior surgery

What does it mean when you have a hernia?

Constipation, "narrow" or "thin" stool. Lump or protrusion in the abdomen; you may be asked to stand and cough, which increases abdominal pressure and makes the hernia more pronounced and easier to diagnose. Nausea, vomiting, fever or rapid heart rate. Pain in the abdomen, especially around the protrusion. If the protruding portion of intestine has ...

Where is the incision for hernia surgery?

In this surgical procedure, also known as herniorrhaphy, the surgeon makes an incision in the abdomen above the hernia, pushes any protruding intestine back into the abdomen and repairs the opening in the muscle wall.

What causes a weakness in the abdominal wall?

It can also result from: Chronic coughing, severe or chronic vomiting. Diabetes or other diseases. Heavy lifting. Injury or obesity. Pregnancy. Prior surgery.

What is the purpose of a ventral hernia incision?

In addition to serving as ports for the laparoscopes, the incisions serve as portals for the medical instruments that a surgeon will use to cover the hernia with a small piece of mesh so it does not recu r. General anesthesia is used for all laparoscopic ventral hernia repairs.

Why do ventral hernias need to be repaired?

Most commonly, ventral hernias are surgically repaired in order to avoid the risk of the intestine becoming strangulated (cut off from the body’s blood supply). Strangulation is considered a medical emergency. A ventral hernia’s symptoms are determined by its location in the abdomen and can include sharp pain that may be present during physical ...

What is a hernia in the abdomen?

A ventral hernia occurs when a weak spot in the abdomen enables abdominal tissue or an organ (such as an intestine) to protrude through a cavity muscle area. These hernias are visibly identified by a bulge in the belly area.

Can you leave the hospital after a hernia surgery?

Depending on the size of the hernia and the complexity of the surgery, patients either leave on the same day of the surgery or stay overnight in the hospital. As with any operation, complications such as bleeding, infection, injury to the intestines, blood clots, or heart or lung problems may occur.

Does Mount Sinai have a laparoscopic ventral hernia?

If you’re struggling with the many possible symptoms of ventral hernias—from sharp pain to vomiting—you understand the importance of finding prompt, effective treatment. Mount Sinai’s highly skilled surgeons have extensive experience with procedures that will provide relief, including laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

Where does a ventral hernia occur?

A spigelian hernia happens in the lower right or left part of the abdomen. This type is most common in older adults. An incisional hernia happens over an incision that does not heal correctly. This is the most common type of ventral hernia.

How to prevent hernia from happening again?

An abdominal binder well help prevent the hernia from happening again. It will hold it in the correct place after your healthcare provider reduces the hernia. Ask your healthcare provider if you can take the binder off for sleep. Apply the binder first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed.

How to reduce a hernia?

Manual reduction of the hernia may be needed. Your healthcare provider will put firm, steady pressure on your hernia until it disappears inside the abdominal wall. You may need to wear a binder that holds the tissue in place.

What is a bulging of organs or abdominal tissue through a weak spot or opening in the abdominal wall?

A ventral hernia is a bulging of organs or abdominal tissue through a weak spot or opening in the abdominal wall. The abdominal wall is made up of fat and muscle. It holds the organs in place.

How to tell if you have a ventral hernia?

Common symptoms of a ventral hernia. Common symptoms of a ventral hernia include: Abdominal lump that is painful. Abdominal lump that is reducible with gentle pressure. Bulging area or lump on the abdomen. Enlargement of the lump when abdominal pressure is increased. Redness of the skin over an abdominal lump.

What is a hernia in the body?

A hernia is a protrusion of tissue from one area of the body through the wall that contains it. Hernias may be present at birth due to incomplete closure of a structure, or they may develop later as the result of increased pressure pushing against a weakened area of muscle or its fibrous sheath (fascia). Abdominal hernias are typically composed of ...

What is a congenital hernia?

Congenital hernias generally result from incomplete or inadequate closure of part of the abdominal wall. Most umbilical hernias are congenital. Ventral hernias that develop over time do so in weakened areas of the abdominal wall. Some types of hernias are seen to run in families.

What are the risk factors for ventral hernia?

Risk factors for ventral hernias include: Abdominal surgery. Chronic constipation. Chronic cough.

What happens if swelling is present in a hernia?

If swelling is present, it can lead to entrapment, or “incarceration,” of the hernia contents. Incarceration can ultimately pose a risk of reduced blood supply to the tissues involved, resulting in tissue “strangulation.”.

Where are abdominal hernias located?

Ventral hernias are a type of abdominal hernia that commonly occurs along the midline of the abdominal wall, although they can occur ...

Can ventral hernia be life threatening?

Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including: Changes in bowel habits, such as an inability to have bowel movements or pass gas.

What is a ventral hernia?

Ventral (Incisional) Hernia. A hernia occurs when part of an internal organ (usually the small intestine) protrudes through a weak point of the abdominal wall, resulting in a bulge. A ventral or incisional hernia specifically describes a hernia, often in the middle of the abdomen, that occurs after a prior incision was made during a prior operation.

How to diagnose a ventral hernia?

To diagnose a ventral hernia, the doctor takes a thorough medical history and conducts a physical examination. The person may be asked to stand and cough so the doctor can see and feel the hernia as it protrudes from the abdominal wall. The doctor checks to see if the hernia can be gently massaged back into its proper position in the abdomen.

What are the complications of an inguinal hernia repair?

Recurrence is the most common complication of inguinal hernia repair, causing patients to undergo a second operation. Bleeding. Bleeding inside the incision is another complication of inguinal hernia repair. It can cause severe swelling and bluish discoloration of the skin around the incision.

How does a hernia surgeon work?

Then the surgeon makes an incision on the abdomen, releases scar tissue, and moves the hernia contents (often bowel or fat) back into the abdomen, and reinforces the muscle wall with stitches. Usually the area of muscle weakness is reinforced with a synthetic or biologic mesh to provide additional support to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

What is an open hernia repair?

In open hernia repair, also called herniorrhaphy, a person is given general anesthesia to sedate or help the person sleep, and this is often augmented with epidural anesthesia to improve recovery time and pain control.

What organs are injured during hernia surgery?

Injury to internal organs. Although extremely rare, injury to the intestine, blad der, kidneys, nerves and blood vessels leading to the legs, internal female organs, and vas deferens-the tube that carries sperm-can occur during hernia surgery and may lead to more operations.

What is a bulge in the abdomen?

A small to large bulge at or near an old surgical incision, most commonly along a vertical straight incision on the abdomen. Discomfort or sharp pain-especially when straining, lifting, or exercising-that improves when resting. Intestinal obstructions can occur when the intestines are blocked due to scar tissue.

What causes a ventral hernia?

Ventral Hernia: What You Need to Know 1 The cause of a ventral hernia can differ depending on its location, as well as your medical history, health and personal anatomy. 2 The most common causes of ventral hernias are activities that raise the pressure within the abdominal walls. These include heavy lifting, pregnancy or chronic coughing but can also result from injury or surgery. 3 Treatment for ventral hernias consists of one of two types of surgeries: herniorrhaphy (open hernia repair) or laparoscopy (minimally invasive).

What causes a hernia in the abdomen?

The most common causes of ventral hernias are activities that raise the pressure within the abdominal walls. These include heavy lifting, pregnancy or chronic coughing but can also result from injury or surgery. Treatment for ventral hernias consists of one of two types of surgeries: herniorrhaphy (open hernia repair) or laparoscopy ...