What is Hernia 

What is hernia: Patient suffering from hernia gets abnormal swelling due to protrusion of abdominal content, mostly small or large intestine, abdominal fat called omentum or sometimes urinary bladder in older people.

This protrusion occurs through an opening or weakness in muscle wall of the abdomen. Hernia can be reducible or irreducible; it may disappear if reducible and reappear in erect position or on straining and coughing. Reduction may be spontaneous

i.e. content of the Hernial sac may return unaided to the abdominal cavity when patient lies flat on his back. However if the patient remains untreated a reducible Hernia may become irreducible

i.e. content of the sac does not return to the abdominal cavity. Irreducibility may be caused by the increase in the size of the Hernia, formation of adhesions or relatively tight Hernia ring (defect in the wall of the abdomen).

Irreducible Hernia is a constant source of danger, as it may result into obstruction or strangulation. Such Hernia needs immediate surgical operation.