Necrosis following umbilical hernia surgery. Will I need another surgery?

Question

I had an umbilical hernia surgery and 4 days now my belly button turned dark purple. if it is necrosis,what will i need another surgery or the removal of necrotic tissue is a simpler procedure. I am terrified of undergoing surgery again. Thank you

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and I am sorry to hear of your belly button issue.  Without a photograph or in-person examination it is difficult to determine the extent of loss of your belly button.  Occasionally only bruising develops and much of the belly button is intact, in others, the whole belly button is lost and a revision procedure is needed.  I would recommend you maintain close follow up with your surgeon for appropriate care instructions.  It is important that you allow yourself sufficient time to fully heal in order to assess your result and be able to do any revisions, if needed.

Alain Polynice, MD · Answer

Its hard to determine if there is indeed necrosis of the belly button without seeing it. At only 4 days after surgery it's possible that there is just decreased blood perfusion to the belly button and this may recover over time. I would follow up closely with your operating surgeon and be conservative initially to see if the belly button recoversIf it does not and indeed there is necrosis then I would consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss possible reconstructive optionsBest of luck to youAlain Polynice, MD, FACS

Daniel Greenwald, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

The need for more surgery is unlikely.  if you have drainage that does not abate you may have a deep suture that might need to be removed.  This is only a problem if your surgeon used n on-absorbable sutures for the hernia repair.Keep in touch with your surgeon and see how it goes.  Don't panic: this will all turn out okay and if you need another procedure it should be a minor one.

Steven M. Gitt, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

Actually, in many cases, the area of umbilical necrosis scars down tot he anterior abdominal wall in such a manner as to almost look like a new umbilicus. Assuming that your necrosis is not extensive, it is likely that you will do better than you might expect

Necrosis following umbilical hernia surgery. Will I need another surgery?

Answers (4)

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