About Hernias Hernia Complications

If they are not surgically repaired, inguinal hernias may enlarge, causing pain. An intestinal obstruction, when a loop of intestine becomes trapped in the weak area of the abdominal wall, is a rare but serious complication of an inguinal hernia. An intestinal obstruction compresses and even closes the intestinal channel, leading to pain, vomiting, or the inability to have a bowel movement. An intestinal obstruction may also cause strangulation, or restriction, of the trapped intestine's blood supply, requiring emergency surgical repair. Intestinal strangulation can in rare cases lead to death of the intestinal segment, and may be life-threatening.

Ventral hernias have the same potential complications as inguinal hernias. An additional complication seen with neglected ventral hernias is loss of domain, which develops when a large volume of herniated intestine chronically resides outside the confines of the abdomen, allowing the abdominal space to gradually contract. In this circumstance, re-inserting the intestines into the abdomen can be dangerous because it can increase intra-abdominal pressure and cause respiratory or circulatory problems. Repairing a chronic ventral hernia with loss of domain sometimes requires enlarging of the abdominal cavity, usually by placing a large piece of mesh into the abdominal wall to extend its circumference.