[Umbilical hernioplasty with valve implantation in cirrhotic-ascitic patients]

The authors summarize the treatment results of patients managed by them suffering from umbilical hernia associated with intractable ascites. Through a period of 10 years, 17 out of the 164 patients operated on for umbilical hernia were cirrhotic with ascites. In the course of the presentation of the data of such treated patients, the authors point at the increased danger of postoperative complications in ascites-induced umbilical hernia, and the high mortality rate; facts backed up by data from previous study. On the basis of their experiences in ascitic-valve implantation over the past decade, during the past 3 years in 5 cases of refractory ascites-induced umbilical hernia, hernioplasty was performed together with ascitic-valve implantation at the same sitting. The observed good results unanimously speak in favour of the continuation of this method. The authors suggest that such patients have to be referred to those surgical departments/hospitals where the prerequisites for the above mentioned surgical method--personnel and material--are given.