July 31, 2010

Hernia

Hernia is an extended projection of the structure, part or a tissue of an organ through the membrane or the muscular tissue, which normally contains it. There are three parts of a hernia and they are its contents, the orifice and the hernial sac.

The body is affected with hernia when a tissue or organ is squeezed through a feeble point or a hole in a connective tissue or surrounding muscle called fascia. The common types of hernia are incisional, inguinal, femoral, hiatal and umbilical.

Different Types of Hernia

Elderly and overweight people who have undergone an abdominal surgery are at a risk of developing incisional hernia. In case of this particular hernia, the intestine swells and penetrates into the wall of the abdomen at the place of the abdominal surgery.

Inguinal hernia refers to the swelling in the bladder or the intestine. It happens when the bladder or the intestine protrudes into the inguinal canal or through the wall of the abdomen. Men are more prone to this sort of hernia than woman is. About 80% cases of hernia are inguinal.

A case of femoral hernia happens due to projection of the intestine. When the intestine protrudes, it gets pushed into the canal and carries the femoral artery into the upper portion of thigh. Women tend to develop femoral hernia. It is common among obese or pregnant women.

Umbilical hernia is common to occur in newborns. It also afflicts those women who are obese and those who have given birth to many children. Umbilical hernia occurs when the small intestine passes near the navel and penetrates the abdominal wall.

Hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach swells and gets squeezed through the opening in the diaphragm. Two large blood vessels and the esophagus pass through this hiatus in the diaphragm.

Categories of hernia on the basis of its anatomical location

Abdominal hernia
Pelvic hernia
Diaphragmatic hernia
Nucleus pulposus hernia
Intracranial hernia

Factors which are responsible for development of hernia

Poor nutrition
Overexertion
Smoking
Obesity
Constipation
Diarrhea
Persistent coughing
Persistent sneezing
Lifting heavy objects

Treatment and recovery

It is a general advice of medical practitioners that victims of hernia must go for a timely treatment. Untimely and improper treated hernia may develop severe complications like gangrene, organ dysfunction and multiple syndromes of organ dysfunction. Many abdominal hernias are surgically repaired. The method to repair uncomplicated hernias is to push back the herniated issue and mend the hole in the tissue of muscles.

Modern techniques of muscle reinforcement involve the use of synthetic materials that prevent weakened tissues from overstretching. Laparoscopes are performed in some cases of hernia repair. Resection of a herniated organ is called herniorrhaphy. The surgery of hernia involves complications such as hernia recurrence, injuries to nerve, organs or blood vessels. In most cases, abdominal hernia is treated surgically, and it hardly requires any long-term change in lifestyle for the patient to recover. Patients, whose hernias are repaired with mesh, recover in a few days.

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