A ventral incisional hernia occurs when a patient undergoes abdominal surgery but a hernia forms at the site of the original incision. Patients may hope that this type of hernia will get smaller or go away with time, but it is important to understand that neither of those are normally the outcome. Like other hernias, a ventral hernia will stay the same or enlarge over time. If you have a ventral incisional hernia, treatment and repair are available through our hernia specialists at Core Surgical in NYC.

Causes and Symptoms of Ventral Incisional Hernias

Ventral incisional hernias occur in an estimated 30% of abdominal surgery patients. The hernia can form at the spot of the incision, whether it is a larger incision from open surgery or a small incision from laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery. The scar tissue at the incision may be thin or weaker than the surrounding muscles and tissue. The fatty tissue or intestines can bulge at the incision area. Some patients may not experience symptoms at all at first, but symptoms can eventually appear, including:

• Bulge at point of incisional scar
• Pain
• Pressure in abdomen
• Vomiting
• Constipation

We can treat this type of hernia with a laparoscopic procedure or open repair. If the hernia is small, then we will be able to treat it using the laparoscopic procedure instead of open repair. For younger patients, we may recommend an abdominal wall reconstruction that brings the rectus muscles back to the proper position in the mid-line of the abdomen.

Ventral incisional hernias can have serious complications, including incarcerated or strangulated hernias that may require immediate surgery. If you have symptoms of a ventral incisional hernia, contact our team at Core Surgical to schedule an appointment with one of our hernia specialists. We offer ventral incisional hernia treatment and surgery at our medical center in Midtown Manhattan.