Umbilical Hernias are very common in infants and young children, particularly in babies born prematurely. Hernias, which develop in adolescence or adulthood, 20 percent of babies are born with umbilical hernias. An umbilical hernia occurs at the umbilicus (belly button) when a loop of intestine pushes through the umbilical ring, a small opening in a fetus’ abdominal muscles through which the umbilical cord—which connects a fetus to its mother while in the womb—passes. Umbilical Hernias occur most often in newborns, and 90 percent will naturally close by the time the child reaches 5 years of age.
An Umbilical Hernia in adults usually occurs when too much pressure is put on a weak section of the abdominal muscles. Potential causes include:
Symptoms in the case of babies cannot be identified when the baby is relaxed. The main symptom is a swelling or bulge near the umbilical area, which is noticed only when the baby is crying, laughing, or straining at stools.
The symptoms are the same in case of an adult; that is, they too have swelling or bulge near the naval area, which can be painful. The pain may cause vomiting, and the swollen area may be discoloured in the case of both adults as well as babies.
Umbilical Hernias usually do not cause any pain. Your Hernia may disappear when you lay flat. You may have any of the following:
Complications from an Umbilical Hernia repair are uncommon, but can include:
Umbilical hernias, in the case of children, sometimes heal up by themselves by the age of three to four. If it does not heal by the age of four or becomes painful surgical repair is needed. The umbilical hernia surgery can be done by a conventional open technique or laparoscopically. In the laparoscopic method, the pain caused is minimal, and recovery is faster than the open method.
Laparoscopic surgery for umbilical hernia holds numerous advantages over traditional open surgery. It is now opted by most surgeons world over to treat umbilical hernias. Some of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery for an umbilical hernia include: