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Elderly patient recovers after rare complex hernia surgery in Navi Mumbai

Doctors say giant recurrent hernias with defects larger than 15 cm and organs displaced outside the cavity are rare and medically significant.

Incisional hernias occur when the abdominal wall weakens at the site of a previous surgical incision.

3 min readMumbaiFeb 4, 2026 10:12 PM IST First published on: Feb 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM IST

A 75‑year-old woman has recovered after undergoing complex abdominal wall reconstruction surgery for a massive recurrent incisional hernia at Medicover Hospital, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, doctors said.

The patient, Surekha Patil (name changed), visited the hospital’s outpatient department on November 14, 2025, with a large abdominal swelling that had worsened significantly over the past two years. She had already undergone three hernia surgeries in the past, but the swelling kept returning, leaving her in constant discomfort, heaviness and pain.

She was admitted for surgery on December 19, 2025, and discharged on December 24, 2025, after a smooth recovery. The operation lasted approximately four hours, and she was able to walk the next day, resume a normal diet within two days, and return home within five days with a healed wound.

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Incisional hernias occur when the abdominal wall weakens at the site of a previous surgical incision. Risk factors include multiple surgeries that weaken muscles over time, age‑related loss of muscle strength, delayed treatment allowing the defect to enlarge, and the absence of advanced reconstruction techniques in earlier repairs. While incisional hernias affect up to 20% of patients after abdominal surgery, giant recurrent hernias, with defects larger than 15 cm and organs displaced outside the cavity, are rare and medically significant.

A team of gastrointestinal and hernia surgeons, Dr Nitin Tawte, Dr Chirag Vaja and Dr Sarang Bajpai from the hospital performed the intricate procedure using a three‑step approach: Botox injections to relax abdominal muscles, progressive pneumoperitoneum to expand the abdominal cavity, and component separation with mesh reinforcement to rebuild the abdominal wall.

Dr Tawte said, “This was a very challenging case because the patient had already undergone multiple surgeries, and the abdominal wall defect was extremely large. Since there was also age-related loss of muscle strength and delayed treatment that allowed the defect to increase, our primary goal was to safely reposition all the organs back inside the abdomen and reconstruct the abdominal wall to provide long‑term strength and stability.”

The patient said, “I had been suffering for years and feared the swelling would never go away. I was experiencing constant discomfort, heaviness, and pain, and the condition severely affected my daily movements and independence to carry out simple activities such as walking, sitting, or standing for long periods. Life seemed extremely difficult and exhausting, and I had developed constant fear and anxiety thinking that my condition would only worsen further, especially after three failed surgeries before this which left me physically weak and emotionally distressed. After the surgery, I feel much lighter and healthier.”

# Navi Mumbai