Hernia

• Overview
• Causes
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Overview

A hernia is basically an outpouching present on the abdominal wall which contains some tissue of the body that protrudes through a weak spot in the normal walls of the body. Manifestation of hernia symptoms demands immediate attention. These are some of the types of hernias based on their location:

• Inguinal hernia
• Femoral hernia
• Epigastric hernia
• Umbilical hernia
• Paraumbilical hernia

Causes

The following are some of the main causes of this health problem:

• A weak point in the abdominal wall
• Pregnancy
• High intraabdominal pressure
• Strenuous activity
• Chronic coughing
• Recurrent constipation

Symptoms

Hernia symptoms appear as a bulge on the normal contour of the body surface, in addition to some other signs and symptoms:

• Burning sensation at the bulge
• Pain and discomfort around the bulge
• The pressure in the region of a hernia

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of this health condition is simply made on the basis of physical examination, however the help of some imaging tests can be taken to confirm the diagnosis:

• CT scan
• MRI
• Ultrasound

Treatment

The definitive treatment of this health condition is surgical repair of the defect through which the hernia is protruding. Some of the following surgical methods are commonly used to repair hernias:

• Open hernia repair
• Laparoscopic hernia repair