Lateral abdominal wall hernias after coughing: a single center experience

Forceful coughing is assumed to be an uncommon etiology for lateral abdominal wall hernias. The literature regarding this topic is very limited and there is a lack of consensus in management, both operative and non-operative. We aim to report our center’s experience in repair of lateral abdominal wall hernias secondary to vigorous coughing.

All patients undergoing lateral abdominal wall hernia repairs secondary to coughing at our institution from August 2014 to December 2023 were identified in the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC). Only patients with lateral abdominal wall hernias without prior lateral incisions, reporting a vigorous coughing event were included in the analysis. Recurrent repairs were also included. Patient and hernia characteristics, operative details, post-operative outcomes, and long-term patient reported outcomes were extracted from the ACHQC database and chart review.

Twelve patients with lateral abdominal wall hernias secondary to coughing underwent repair within the study period. The median hernia width was 18.5 cm. Transversus abdominus release was performed in all patients, 8 had heavyweight polypropylene mesh placed, and 9 received mesh fixation. Wound complications were noted in 2 patients, both resolved with superficial wound opening. At a mean follow up of 4.0 years, one patient reported a bulge, and no clinical or radiographic recurrences were identified.

Lateral abdominal wall hernias after forceful coughing have not been well defined. Here we present our series based on our repairs. Unfortunately, our ability to comment on recurrences is limited by a lack of follow up.