What is an Internal Hernia? Posted: 09-09-06 08:22am
I had a gastric bypass in 2003 and about a
year and a half ago starting experiencing
occassional severe pain in left side of
abdomen. Been through 2 ct scans which
proved normal. I was told 3 days ago that
it could possibly be an internal hernia.
Can you please enlighten me as to what
this is and if I have it operated on will
it reoccur?
thanks.
An internal abdominal hernia is a
protrusion of an abdominal organ through a
normal or abnormal mesenteric or
peritoneal opening. Internal abdominal
hernias can be ACQUIRED (due to trauma or
surgical procedure) or CONSTITUTIONAL
(related to congenital peritoneal defects
or abnormal embryologic development
including small-bowel malrotation).
Symptoms of internal abdominal herniations
are nonspecific, consisting of mild
abdominal discomfort alternating with
episodes of intense periumbilical pain and
nausea. An internal hernia should be taken
very seriously (as with any other hernia)
because it can be complicated by
incarceration. Incarceration indicates
acute ischemia and necrosis (infarct) of
the herniated organ (usually intestines).
This manifests through severe abdominal
pain. Intestinal infarction is a life
threatening condition and is treated with
immediate surgical intervention
(laparotomy).
The diagnostic tool for detecting an
internal hernia is the abdominal CT-scan.
A CT-scan allows physicians to make a
precise anatomical diagnoses and to
identify acute complications. If diagnosis
of an internal abdominal hernia is
confirmed, a laparoscopy has to be
performed to solve the problem.
You HAVE TO consult abdominal surgeon
about further treatment.
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