Patterns of abdominal wall hernias in Yemeni patients in Aden

Abstract EN

Hernia is a very common medical condition affected all ages and both sexes.

This is a prospective descriptive hospital-based study conducted to study the pattern of anterior abdominal wall hernia among adult patients operated at the Surgical Department of Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospital, during the period from Jan.

1st through Dec.

31st, 2007.

The frequency of operated hernia in adults was 5.21 %.

Males were affected more than females (73.2% and 28.8%, respectively), with a ratio of 2.5 : 1.

The age ranges from 15 to 74 years, with a mean of 50.3 ± 4.4 years and the frequency of hernias increases with age.

Commonly, patients presented with reducible hernias (74.6%), and the common types of operated hernias were indirect inguinal hernia (49.2%), direct inguinal hernia (22.9%), and incision hernia (14.4%).

Males had indirect (61.9%) and direct (28.5%) inguinal hernias, while females had incisional (35.3%), femoral (14.7%), and umbilical hernias (11.8%).

Inguinal and femoral hernias were seen more in the right side (85.9%).

Postoperative complications were seen in 11.0%, and the case fatality rate was (0.85%).

The incidence of hernias is more frequent among elderly patients, and there is significant relationship between the type of hernia and sex.

Laparoscopy & outpatient clinics should be available.