What is a Ventral Hernia?
Abdominal hernias are called ventral hernias and can be in any part of the abdominal wall. Umbilical hernias are a type of ventral hernia at the "belly button". If the hernia is caused by a previous operation, it is called an incisional hernia, and if the hernia comes back after a repair, it is called a recurrent hernia. Until now, the only available repair required a large incision, an extensive operation, one week in the hospital and eight weeks to recover.

Symptoms
Herniations, or bulging of the intestine, can arise from defects in the abdominal muscle wall that developed after any type of abdominal incision. They may be evident soon after the surgery, or may take years to progress. Often, just having pain is the first symptom noticed, and later a bulge may be seen or felt under the skin.

Diagnosis
Physical examination by a physician is necessary. History of prior surgery is a strong indicator, although some abdominal wall defects can be congenital.

What if I need surgery?
Incisional hernia repair in the past, required open surgery, staying in the hospital, and up to eight weeks recovery time. Laparoscopy can successfully treat an incisional hernia-with no hospital stay-and put you back to normal life in just days.