Paraumbilical hernia repair during cesarean delivery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pregnant women with paraumbilical hernia usually postpone hernia repair until after delivery, but some patients request that it be done during cesarean delivery. Therefore, we evaluated the outcome of combined cesarean delivery and paraumbilical hernia repair in a prospective study at a tertiary referral university hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, we compared the outcome of 48 patients undergoing cesarean delivery combined with paraumbilical hernia repair versus 100 low-risk patients undergoing cesarean delivery alone. The main outcome measures were operation time, blood loss, severity of pain, peripartum complications, hospital stay, hernia recurrence, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: The combined procedure took significantly longer than cesarean delivery alone (75.2 minutes versus 60.5 minutes, P<.001)). There were no major complications. Wound infection occurred in 6 patients (4.1%). Hospital stay did not differ significantly from those of controls. Pain at the hernia site repair occurred in two patients, and one hernia recurred in the hernia repair group during a mean follow-up period of 22 months (range, 6-36 months). All hernia patients reported that they preferred the combined operation. CONCLUSIONS: Combined cesarean delivery and paraumbilical hernia repair had the advantage of a single incision, single anesthesia, and a single hospital stay while avoiding re-hospitalization for a separate hernia repair. Our results indicate that the combination approach is safe, effective, and well accepted.