Ventral Hernia

A ventral hernia can occur in any location of the abdominal wall as a bulge of tissues of abdominal tissues through a weak opening in the abdominal wall muscles. When the intestinal tissue gets tightly caught as a bulge in the abdominal wall, then the condition is termed as strangulated ventral hernia. In this case the intestinal tissue cannot be pushed back and cuts the blood flow to the area requiring emergency surgery.

Causes of Ventral Hernia

There are several factors that lead to the formation of ventral hernia and include:

• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Record of previous hernias
• Previous abdominal surgery
• Injuries to the bowel area
• Frequently lifting and pushing  of heavy objects
• Week scar tissues from previous abdominal surgery

Symptoms

Symptoms may last for weeks or months and includes:

• pain and discomfort in the abdominal area during prolonged walking, standing or lifting heavy objects
• outward bulging of skin or tissues in the abdominal area
• nausea
• vomiting
• Swelling in the bulged area

Diagnosing Ventral Hernia

The doctor performs a physical exam and asks about the symptoms. The doctor suggests various imaging test including ultrasound scan, CT scan or a MRI scan.

Treatment options

The surgery is initiated by administering a dose of anesthesia to relax the patient and to reduce the pain and discomfort caused by the condition. The surgeon makes a small incision in the abdominal wall and inserts a laparoscope to view the internal abdominal cavity and associated organs. A laparoscope is a thin long tube that has a camera attached to its end and enables the surgeon to view enlarged images of the cavity and the organs with a monitor attached. After investigation, the surgeon makes few more incisions to insert hernia repair tools and the bulged tissues are pushed back and placed in position. Later a mesh is placed in the weak spot of the abdominal wall to prevent the possibility of reoccurrence of hernia. Later the incisions are closed and sutured.

After the surgery, meditations are administrated to reduce pain and discomfort from the surgery. The patient can leave the hospital in a day or two and are instructed not to do any heavy tasks like weight lifting. Diet rich in fiber content and adequate fluid intakes is instructed. The laparoscopic surgery has several advantages with a faster recovery time and minimal scars.

Advantages of laparoscopic hernia removal include:

• Few small incisions
• Lowers chance of infection
• Less postoperative pain
• Reduced hospital stay
• Minimal scars
• Faster recovery time

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