A Minimally Invasive Approach for Managing Umbilical Hernia and Rectus Abdominis Diastasis: A Single-Center Case Series

Abstract

Introduction

Umbilical hernias (UHs) and rectus abdominis diastasis (RAD) are distinct abdominal conditions that, though separate, frequently overlap in the context of surgical management. The debate over the most effective repair techniques continues, despite the proposal of numerous methods and guidelines. In this study, we reported a novel surgical technique involving a minimal incision for managing both UHs and RAD.

Methods

Following the de-identification of data, the necessary information was retrospectively collected from the clinical profiles of patients managed through our technique. The records included patient demographics, smoking, body mass index (BMI), family and patient history of hernias, parity, clinical symptoms, comorbidities, operation time, hospital admission, treatment outcomes, and follow-up. All the included cases had small-sized UHs (≤ 2 cm) and RAD.

Results

The patients' ages ranged from 23 to 44 years (34.3 ±5.65), with a mean BMI of 26.8±2.74 kg/m². All patients were multiparous women, with the majority having experienced three pregnancies. Clinical symptoms included pain and swelling in all cases. The surgical procedure duration varied from 30 to 45 minutes, with a mean of 33±4.9 minutes, and no complications were encountered intra or postoperatively. All the cases were discharged home the same day of the operation. There were no instances of hernia recurrence after a mean of 6.4 months of follow-up.

Conclusion

The technique discussed in this study may play a crucial role in effectively managing patients with UHs ≤ 2 cm and/or RAD, offering satisfactory outcomes with no complications and minimal operating times.