Femoral hernia
Femoral hernias are a rare variety of hernias.
Sometimes a painful lump in the leg or groin’s inner upper region indicates a femoral hernia. When you lie down, the swelling frequently vanishes or might be pushed back in. The lump could show up when you cough or strain.
Causes for femoral hernia
A femoral hernia happens when internal tissues push through a groin or inner thigh-area weak spot in the muscular wall.
The precise cause could not be known. It’s possible that a person’s muscle wall there is fundamentally weak from birth. Straining or too much pressure can cause femoral hernias because of:
- Moving or lifting large objects
- Having a constant, powerful cough
- Having trouble passing poo or urine
- Giving birth
- Being overweight
- Having ascites, a fluid buildup in the abdomen
- Getting peritoneal dialysis as a kidney disease treatment
When is there a need for surgery?
Femoral hernias can be treated surgically to strengthen the weak abdominal wall and force the bulge back into its proper position.
In femoral hernias than in some other forms of hernias, immediate treatment is almost always advised.
A femoral hernia can cause a variety of complications, like as;
Obstruction occurs when a piece of the intestine gets lodged in the femoral canal and causes nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain, in addition to a sore lump in the groin.
Strangulation is when a portion of the intestine becomes stuck, and its blood supply is cut off; this calls for immediate surgery to free the tissue and reestablish the blood flow, so the patient doesn’t perish.
While significant complications are avoided, and the hernia is removed through surgery, there is a potential that it will recur.
Surgery for femoral hernia
A femoral hernia can be repaired in one of two ways:
- A cut is made during open surgery to enable the surgeon to push the lump back into your abdomen.
- Laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery is a less intrusive but more challenging procedure involving numerous small incisions that allow the surgeon to employ various tools to treat the hernia.
There are advantages and cons to both strategies. The surgery you receive is determined by your personal preferences and the skill of your surgeon.
Most patients recover fully from femoral hernia surgery within six weeks.
Femoral hernia risks
Femoral hernia repair is a standard procedure with a relatively low risk of complications, albeit in a tiny percentage of cases, the hernia recurs after the course.
Among the less prevalent side effects of femoral hernia repair are:
- A bulge forming beneath the wound
- Having trouble urinating
- Injury or femoral vein narrowing (which passes through the femoral canal)
- gastrointestinal injury
- Leg tremors for a short time
- Nerve damage that results in groin pain or numbness
In older adults or those with preexisting conditions, complications are more frequent.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022