What Is An Abdominal Wall Hernia?

The most common types of hernias develop within the abdominal wall which runs from the rib cage down to the groin. It is the strong wall of muscle and tissue that holds your organs (such as your stomach and intestines) inside the abdomen.

When tissues or organs bulge through a weakness in your abdominal wall, it is called a “hernia”. A hernia repair is simply reducing the content of the hernia sac (returning the protruding organs back into the abdominal cavity) and repairing the weakness in the abdominal wall.

There are many types of abdominal wall hernias and they are usually classified based on their anatomical location.

The most common hernias can be classified as follows:

Groin Hernias

The groin is the area just above the skin crease, where the upper leg meets the abdomen and up to a line from hip bone to hip bone. The lower area of the groin is the weakest part of the abdominal wall, and is the area where hernias most often develop.

There are two types of groin hernias:

Inguinal hernias appear in the groin or scrotum and are subdivided into direct (directly through the abdominal wall) and indirect (down the inguinal canal); and

Femoral hernias appear in the lower part of the groin or upper thigh.

Ventral Hernias

Ventral Hernias appear in the abdominal wall (usually above the groin area) and can occur through a previous operation’s incision site (incisional), around the navel (umbilical), above the navel (epigastric), or at any other weak muscle site (primary abdominal).