Hernia occurs in an individual when part of the intestines pushes through the wall of the abdomen and appears as a bulge at the site. There are many sites where hernia can occur, although the commonly encountered type is that found in the groin. This type of hernia is known as femoral or inguinal hernia. Hernia may occur on the navel which occurs close to it is known as paraumbilical hernia. These two types of hernia are less common than the femoral type. Sometimes, hernia occurs at former sites of operation on the abdomen, particularly where the operation wound was not well closed or the wound did not heal properly. This type of hernia is called incisional hernia.
Groin hernia occurs more commonly in males, but can also occur in females in a few cases. In few cases. In this kind of hernia, there is a weakness in the abdominal wall in the groin region about midway across the groin. It may appear on either side or, sometimes, on both sides.
The early signs are swelling in the groin which initially may not be noticeable but, later on, the bulge starts to grow in size and becomes quite conspicuous. A good especially in males, the protrusion may move into the scrotum.
As the swelling increases, initially, it can be pushed back manually into the body. Later on, it gets bigger still and lies almost permanently outside the body, especially when the patient stands up, but if the patient lies on his back this protrusion may move back into his abdomen. A situation such as this leads to complications later on. These complications, which often give rise to pain, usually include obstruction and strangulation. In obstruction, the bulge refuses to be pushed back. In this state, the intestines are blocked and the passage of food is prevented. If this persists, the blood supply to the trapped intestine is cut off. This blocking of the intestines causes swelling in the abdomen. The patient wriggles in pain and may, at this stage, vomit. Such cases become emergencies which must be promptly attended to in hospitals by surgeons.
In some cases of obstruction, the bulge can be pushed back successfully and a surgical operation can be arranged later for the patient. Obstruction which cannot be pushed back requires an immediate surgical operation called herniorrhaphy. Herniorrhaphy may involve the repair of the weak abdominal walls, or the cutting off and the removal of the damaged parts of the intestines. It is important that the operation is carried out by a trained surgeon. Once a hernia is recognized, surgical repair should be arranged to avoid complications.
Children also suffer from groin hernia. Groin hernia in children is usually due to a hole in the abdomen which ought to have closed at birth but did not. In such cases the intestines protrude into the scrotum.
The only effective treatment for all cases of hernia is surgical operation.
