Behind the knife, the Surgery Podcast, where we take a behind the scenes intimate look at surgery

from leaders in the field. Welcome to Behind the Knife, Medical Student and Intern Survival Guide.

In this podcast series, we focus on high yield topics relevant to medical students and

surgical interns.

My name is Patrick Georgov and I'm Vahag

Nicolian and we are your host. Today's topic will be

abdominal wall hernius. This is another classic general surgery problem that is highly applicable to medical students and

junior residents.

That's right, Vahog.

Let's start with the basics.

What is a hernia?

A hernia occurs when an organ protrudes through the wall of the cavity containing it.

In this case, we are talking about intra-abdominal contents protruding through the abdominal

wall.

That's right.

And what causes hernias to occur?

Well, hernias occur at areas of weakness in the abdominal wall,

including congenital areas of weakness, like the umbelicus or inguinal canal. They also occur at the site of

surgical incisions or traumatic injuries. There are a number of factors that increase

the likelihood of developing a hernia as well, including obesity, chronic cough,

heavy lifting, a cytes, and pregnancy.

Essentially, anything that increases intramidal pressure.

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