The term hernia is generally used when we are talking about abdominal hernias, but it can also be used for bulges in other areas. A hernia is known to occur when the contents of a body cavity swell out of the area in which it is normally contained.
Although hernias are harmless in most cases, there is still a potential risk as there is the possibility of strangulation and disruption of the blood supply. This thing may need to be treated surgically.
There are different types of abdominal wall hernias. Inguinal hernias represent 75% of all abdominal wall hernias, occur up to 25 times more frequently in men than women, and are divided into two types: direct inguinal hernia and indirect inguinal hernia. Both types can look like a bulge in the crease of the groin and can be treated the same.
Indirect inguinal hernia descends from the abdomen into the scrotum and follows the path that the testes took during development before birth.
The hernial sac may protrude into the scrotum. This hernia can usually occur at any age, but it becomes more common as people get older.
Direct inguinal hernia occurs where the abdominal wall is naturally a little thinner, somewhat within the location of the indirect hernia, and it is known that this hernia rarely protrudes into the scrotum. Direct inguinal hernia usually occurs in middle-aged and older people.
Another type of abdominal wall hernia is the femoral hernia. The femoral canal, which is a narrow space and the way the femoral artery, vein, and nerve leave the abdominal cavity to enter the thigh, can sometimes grow larger, leaving abdominal contents in the canal. The femoral hernia creates a bulge under the crease of the groin approximately in the middle of the thigh. These hernias can develop the risk of being irreducible and strangled
If an opening in the abdominal wall is not completely closed, these hernias are usually found as a protrusion on the navel at birth. When she is small, this type of hernia gradually closes at the age of 2 years. However, if it is larger and does not close, surgery is necessary. Umbilical hernias can occur later in life, even if the area is closed at birth. This type of hernia can occur later in middle-aged women who have had children and in older people.
An incisional hernia occurs after abdominal surgery, but in rare cases. The defect of the abdominal wall caused by abdominal surgery can determine the occurrence of a weak spot area in which an inguinal hernia can develop.
Obturator hernia occurs mainly in women and protrudes from the pelvic cavity through an opening in the pelvic bone. This can often cause nausea and vomiting.
Other types of abdominal wall hernias are sigmoid hernia – this hernia occurs on the edge of the rectus muscle of the abdomen – and epigastric hernia which occurs between the navel and the lower part of the chest in the line middle of the abdomen and is usually made up of fatty tissue and rarely contained in the intestine.