Postoperative hernia

Postoperative hernia (cicatricial, ventral) is characterized by displacement of internal organs (omentum, intestine) beyond the abdominal wall in the scar area, which was formed as a result of surgical intervention. In the area of scar tissue there is a tumor-like protrusion. When the patient is in a horizontal position, this protrusion disappears.

If you have a postoperative ventral hernia, immediately after the appearance of the first clinical signs you need to seek help from a surgeon. The first symptoms can manifest in the form of nausea, vomiting, pain in the zone of protrusion and abdomen, which increase with physical exertion.

There are several factors that provoke the development of postoperative hernias. These include obesity, decreased immunity, physical activity, severe coughing, vomiting and constipation. Also, we should not exclude medical errors during the operation.

In order to diagnose a postoperative hernia, the patient must undergo a visual examination by a doctor and a number of instrumental studies (tomography of the abdominal cavity organs, X-ray examination of the small intestine and stomach, as well as ultrasonic diagnostics and herniography). To conduct hernography in the abdominal cavity, a special contrast agent is introduced.

It should be said that the postoperative hernia develops in several stages. At the first stage of the development of the disease, painless formations arise, which are easily corrected. In the case of sudden stress, shock, formation increases in size, and the patient thus feels a slight pain. In the process of increasing the size of the hernia pain sensations increase and develop into painful attacks. When the intestine is jammed, its functioning is disturbed, which is often expressed in the form of belching, nausea, flatulence, constipation, stagnation of stool, which naturally causes intoxication of the body. Patients with this ailment often complain about general weakness and decreased activity.

Given the size and location of localization, postoperative hernia is classified into several groups: small, medium, large and giant. Small hernias do not change the shape of the abdomen. Medium and extensive hernias are localized most often on the anterior abdominal wall. Hernias of giant sizes are located in several places of the abdominal wall.

Postoperative hernia can cause a number of complications, which are manifested in the form of infringement of the hernial sac as a result of tissue tightening. This phenomenon is often accompanied by coprostasis (fecal retention in the thick intestine).

Emergency medical care is provided in the absence of defecation, nausea, vomiting, in the presence of blood in fecal masses, flatulence, pain in the abdomen, as well as in those cases where it is impossible to correct the hernia in the horizontal position of the patient with a slight pressure on her hand.

With a disease such as a postoperative hernia, the treatment is performed with the help of a surgical procedure. It is best to do this in the early stages of the development of the disease, when the hernia easily recovers, because over time it becomes irreparable. Gernioplasty can be carried out at the expense of the patient's own tissues and using synthetic materials. In the first case, the method of surgical intervention is effective only for hernias of small sizes (the diameter of the hernial gates is up to 5 cm). Most often, this type of surgery is performed using local anesthesia. In the second case, hernioplasty uses a synthetic mesh, which is hemmed in place of a defect in the abdominal wall. This method of treatment is more effective, it is carried out under general anesthesia. Relapses are very rare.