[Management of umbilical hernia in cirrhotic patients]

Abstract

The treatment of umbilical hernia in the setting of cirrhosis poses unique and specific management problems due to the pathophysiology of cirrhotic ascites. The high intra-abdominal pressures generated by ascites when applied to areas of parietal weakness are the cause of hernia formation and enlargement. Successful surgical treatment depends on minimization or elimination of ascites. Umbilical rupture and hernia strangulation are the most life-threatening complications of umbilical hernia with ascites and they demand urgent surgical intervention. In non-emergency situations, medical therapy to control ascites should precede hernia repair. When ascites is refractory to medical therapy, treatment will vary depending on whether transplantation is an option. In liver transplantation candidates, hernia repair can be performed at the end of the transplantation procedure. If transplanation is not envisaged, concomitant treatment of both ascites and hernia is best achieved by placement of a peritoneo-venous shunt at the time of the parietal repair.