Facts On Ventral Hernias Houston Residents Should Know

By Michael Davis


Upwards of 90,000 surgical operations are performed annually to correct various types of ventral hernias. These include epigastric, umbilical, inguinal and incisional types. These three defects are all located on the anterior abdominal wall in various regions due to a weakness that exist in the muscular layer of the region. If they intend on undergoing the corrective operation for ventral hernias Houston patients should understand a number of things beforehand.

These problems may set in at any age. Many of them are first noticed at birth indicating a presence of an anatomical defect in the anterior abdominal wall. Although a few inguinal hernias may disappear as the child grows, many of them require surgical correction. Another period at which these swellings may be seen is the period that follows pregnancy or surgery since both of these conditions weaken the abdominal wall muscles.

A hernia usually contains the contents of the underlying cavity. In this case, it contains intestinal loops and other tissues from the abdominal cavity. The presence of intestinal loops in the hernia sac puts them at risk of obstruction. When this happens, an emergency surgical operation is required. Without the operation part of the loops may have their blood supply cut off and they may lose viability.

The signs and symptoms of hernias are similar regardless of the region that is involved. Swelling is one of the most obvious symptoms. The swelling is intermittent and is most likely to increase in prominence if there is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure such as when bearing down or during a cough. Pain is often present but may not be experienced if the defect is large enough to allow free movement of the intestinal loops.

Apart from taking your medical history, the doctor will also conduct a physical examination that is aimed at evaluating the problem further. Areas of interest will include the size, the location and the reducibility of the defect among others. Some investigations may be requested for in select cases. Such will include ultrasound scans and CT scan images. If a decision to have surgery is made, some blood tests will be done as well.

The treatment chosen will depend on the findings after the history, physical examination and the imaging studies. Small defects that are not causing any discomfort may be managed conservatively through watchful waiting except in cases where the patient requests for surgery. There are two main techniques that are employed during surgery. These include the open technique and the laparoscopic technique.

The open technique is where a surgical incision is made near the hernia pouch to gain access to the defect. Once it is opened, a mesh is fitted near the defect to block the defect. An alternative is to close the defect using permanent sutures. In the laparoscopic technique, an instrument known as a laparoscope is inserted into the abdominal cavity using three ports. The defect is accessed from the inside and repaired through suturing or meshing.

No drug can help seal this defect. This means that you have to sign up for the operation if you hope to be free of hernias. The surgery itself is usually simple and with very few complications. Those that are likely to be encountered include bleeding, injuries to structures such as intestines and the bladder and infections in the intermediate term. Resumption of the normal routine is usually in a matter of days.




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