Procedure:
Repair of a rupture (weakness in the abdominal wall). This will need suture repair or insertion of synthetic mesh and can be done openly or laparoscopically.
Risks of this procedure:
There are some risks/ complications, which include:
(a) You may have difficulty passing urine after the operation and may need a catheter passed into the bladder.
(b) Rarely in emergency hernia repairs, bowel injury due to strangulation of the bowel in the hernia. This may require further surgery.
(c) Some deformity of the abdominal wall due to movement of tissue to repair the hernia. The is permanent.
(d) The umbilicus may need to be removed or its position changed. This may be disfiguring.
(e) In some people healing of the wound may be abnormal and the wound can be thickened and the wound may be painful.
(f) Rarely the hernia may recur, ie. come back. The risks are approximately 1-7% for single or bilateral hernias or higher for recurrent hernias. This may require further surgery.
(g) Recurrent herniae are more prone to the complication as stated above.
(h) Increased risk in obese people of wound infection, chest infection, heart and lung complications and thrombosis.
(i) Increased risk in smokers of wound and chest infections, heart and lung complications and thrombosis.