Web www.health-fitness-club.info

Umbilical Hernia

An umbilical hernia is a protrusion of the gut under the skin of the navel. There are two very different forms in children and adults.

In children, there is a hole between the muscle layers of the abdomen where the arteries and veins that passed down the umbilical cord from the mother entered the baby. This hole normally closes quickly after birth, but in some children the hole is very large, or is slow to close. In these cases, bulging of the intestine into the area just below the skin of the umbilicus can occur. This is more common in premature babies, as the processes involved in closing the hole behind the umbilicus are slower. The hernia bulges out while the infant is crying or active, but usually disappears when the child is lying quietly, and almost never gives pain or discomfort to the child. The vast majority closes spontaneously within twelve months but may take until three years of age. If the hernia persists, surgery may be necessary.

n adults, the hernia is not strictly speaking an umbilical hernia, but a Para umbilical hernia, as the rupture occurs not immediately underneath the umbilicus but in the slightly weakened fibrous tissue just above (more common) or below the navel. These steadily increase in size with time and are common in women who have had multiple pregnancies, in the very obese and those who have other causes for excess pressure in the abdomen. Large hernias can contain a significant amount of intestine and may cause discomfort and constipation. Small Para umbilical hernias are repaired surgically when discovered, as delay may lead to a larger hernia and more difficult repair later. In order patients with particularly large hernias, surgical repair may not be practical. Rarely the intestine may become trapped in the hernia, very painful and gangrenous, If this occurs, emergency surgery is essential. The recurrence rate after surgery depends upon the original size of the hernia, but is generally low.