Parastomal Hernia Surgery

A ‘parastomal hernia’ refers to a bulge or defect in the abdominal wall adjacent to a stoma.

Parastomal hernias are common, because by the very nature of creating a stoma, your surgeon has needed to create a hole in your normal abdominal wall (tummy muscles) to allow your bowel to be exteriorised and fashioned as a stoma. The size of this hole can expand slowly over time, particularly in patients who are overweight.

Most stomas are temporary and the best way of treating a parastomal hernia is to reverse the stoma and restore intestinal continuity. If a stoma is permanent, removing the stoma is not an option.

In general, small parastomal hernias do not need surgery to fix them, despite causing some discomfort or an unsightly bulge. Weight loss and supportive stomal belts and other appliances can help these symptoms. In the event that the underlying bowel is at risk of being caught in the hernia and damaged, or stoma bags are not fitting, surgery can be considered. The colorectal and general surgeons at the Specialists Centre Ballarat who perform parastomal hernia repairs will discuss the options with you, including a minimally invasive approach.