Is it possible to have both a Hiatal hernia and an abdominal hernia from a pregnancy?

Question

I recently had a consult with a PS. He said I have a hernia. I have had so many struggles with stomach issues and no answers. I'll find out at my family doctor in a few days, but will a tummy tuck be safe to do if I do in fact have a hiatal hernia? The PS said he would fix my abdominal hernia.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

If you have symptoms of GERD and tissue damage from this, then the tummy tuck, due to plication of the rectus musculature, may worsen the symptoms and/or tissue damage.Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds  
of tummy tuck procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's 
 website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can  
deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Christopher J. Davidson, MD, FACS · Answer

In general, a tummy tuck including the tightening of the abdominal muscles may very well make the symptoms of your hiatal hernia worse.

Lisa Cassileth, MD, FACS · Answer

Sadly, pregnancy both makes your tissues stretchy and puts a lot of pressure on them at the same time from the growing baby. Hernia are holes in the abdominal cavity that can then develop where abdominal contents (like bowel) can pop through. Umbilical hernia, the most common hernia to occur with pregnancy, is pretty easy to see because your belly button becomes an "outie" that you can push in, then it pops out again! A hiatal hernia, on the other hand, is your upper stomach and esophagus popping into your chest cavity, and is usually associated with reflux. This is not always obvious, you may just have reflux -  usually your gastroenterologist can diagnosis it (with a barium swallow or upper scope). Fixing a small abdominal hernia (like your umbilical hernia) is unlikely to cause worsening of your hiatal hernia. If your PS does a large rectus diastasis, ie, tightens up your abdominal wall, it can put pressure upwards on your hiatal hernia and make you feel tighter and more "full". Best to figure out what you have and how best to treat it before going into any cosmetic surgery.

David Finkle, MD · Answer

A hiatal hernia is an internal hernia in which the upper portion of the stomach proturds through the diaphragm.  It is unrelated to an external hernia, like umbilical or inguinal hernia, and there is no interference with any cosmetic surgery procedure.

Frederic H. Corbin, MD (license restricted) · Answer

I agree with the answers of the two previous PS so I would not be afraid to procede with the planned abdominoplasty

Is it possible to have both a Hiatal hernia and an abdominal hernia from a pregnancy?

Answers (6)