Dr. Francisco Javier García Borda is a specialist in general surgery and an expert in colorectal-coloproctology surgery, gallbladder surgery and abdominal wall surgery. He explains how this last technique is performed.
What does abdominal wall surgery consist of?
The role of abdominal wall surgery is to repair the abdominal wall when it has lost its integrity, that is to say, those alterations that cause “ruptures” or failures of the wall.
What pathologies require surgical treatment?
Fundamentally they are hernias and eventrations, more infrequent are the losses of part of the abdominal wall by trauma: traffic accidents, sports accidents, injuries, etcetera.
A hernia is nothing more than the exit of the abdominal contents through any of the orifices or weak points existing in the abdomen, mainly groin, inguinal hernia, crural, navel, umbilical hernia, the rest being rarer in their presentation (lumbar, Petit, Spiegel…).
An eventration is in the end a hernia, differing in that its origin is not a natural orifice or weak point, but the scar of a surgical intervention.
In both cases, surgical intervention is the only solution to the problem, avoiding the complications of this pathology, which are basically: incarceration, not being able to “return” the hernia (bulge) to the interior of the abdomen, and strangulation, intestinal damage that constitutes a surgical emergency.
Are there any complications?
Currently, hernia or eventration surgery consists of repairing the defect by placing a mesh or prosthetic material, the complications of which are very rare, although they do exist. These can be: rejection (very infrequent), infection, mobilization or unanchoring of the mesh. Surgery in general is not complicated in expert hands, although it is true that some cases can become very complex, due to long evolution, large hernias… each case must always be personalized.
What postoperative period should be followed?
Currently, with prosthetic repair, the postoperative period is much more comfortable. There is a faster return to daily life and work, with the only precaution of not making great physical efforts during the first days.