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Parastomal Hernia Surgery in Ahmedabad

Laparoscopic and open repair, stoma resiting and stoma reversal · Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad

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You have lived with a stoma for some time after bowel surgery. Now the skin around it bulges. The bag does not seal as it used to. It leaks at night, the skin is sore, and there may be a dragging ache or bouts of cramp. This is a parastomal hernia: a hernia right beside the stoma. It is the most common long-term problem of a stoma. Not every one needs an operation. When one does, there is more than one operation to choose from, and in some people the right answer is to close the stoma altogether. This page explains how Dr Harsh Shah makes that choice.

In short: a parastomal hernia is a bulge beside a stoma. Many are managed with a support belt. Troublesome ones are repaired with mesh, moved, or removed by closing the stoma.

Last updated: 18-Oct-2026

Dr Harsh Shah is a surgeon of the abdomen and abdominal wall with 18 years of experience. He trained at Maulana Azad Medical College and GB Pant Hospital in Delhi, and holds an MCh and a DrNB in surgical gastroenterology. He repairs hernias by laparoscopic (keyhole) and open methods, and chooses between them for each hernia, not by habit. Each operation note records the defect, the plane and the mesh used, so that any surgeon who sees you later knows what was done.

Dr Harsh Shah, parastomal hernia surgeon, Ahmedabad

Dr Harsh Shah
MS, MCh (Surgical Gastroenterology), DrNB (Surgical Gastroenterology)
Registered with Gujarat Medical Council, Reg. No. G-38738
Complex Hernia Surgeon
· Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
★★★★★ 4.9 · 200+ Google reviews

Call +91 63555 64601 WhatsApp your CT report and old operation notes

What a parastomal hernia is

To make a stoma, the bowel is brought out through a hole in the belly wall. Over time that hole can stretch, and more bowel or fat pushes out beside the stoma.

A stoma is an opening of the bowel on the skin of the belly. A colostomy is made from the large bowel. An ileostomy is made from the small bowel. A urostomy carries urine through a short piece of bowel. For any of them, the surgeon makes a hole through all the layers of the belly wall and brings the bowel out through it.

That hole is a planned weak spot. Each cough, lift and strain presses on it. Over months or years it can widen. Fat and loops of bowel then slip out beside the stoma, under the skin. That bulge is the parastomal hernia.

It is common. It is seen most after an end colostomy, but it can follow any stoma. The risk is higher with weight gain, a long cough, diabetes, steroid tablets, smoking, an infection of the wound at the first operation, and a stoma hole made larger than it needed to be. Many appear in the first two years. There is a fuller note on a bulge around a stoma.

Does every parastomal hernia need an operation?

No. A hernia that causes no pain and lets the bag seal well is often managed with a fitted support belt and a review by a stoma nurse.

Repairing a parastomal hernia is a bigger job than most hernia repairs. The hernia also comes back more often than other hernias do. So the first question is not which operation, but whether you need one at all.

Many are managed without surgery. A stoma support belt or a firm garment, made with a hole for the bag, holds the bulge in. A stoma nurse can change the bag system to a softer or a convex base so that it seals on the changed skin. Weight loss and treating a cough also help.

Surgery is advised when the hernia causes real trouble:

  1. bowel trapped in the hernia, or bouts of blockage with pain, a swollen belly and vomiting;
  2. a bag that keeps leaking, with sore skin that will not heal, despite expert stoma care;
  3. pain that limits work or daily life;
  4. a hernia so large that you cannot see or reach the stoma to change the bag;
  5. for a colostomy, being unable to irrigate the stoma if you rely on that.

A hernia that is trapped and painful and will not go back is an emergency. Go to hospital the same day.

The first question: can the stoma be closed?

If the stoma was meant to be temporary, or can now be safely closed, closing it is often the answer. The bowel is joined again and the old stoma site is repaired.

Some stomas are made to be temporary. A loop ileostomy is often made to rest a new join in the bowel. An end colostomy after an emergency operation on the large bowel can sometimes be joined back later. If your stoma can be closed, the hernia goes with it. The bowel is rejoined inside, and the hole in the wall where the stoma was is closed, often with a mesh, because that site is now at risk of an incisional hernia of its own.

Whether the stoma can be closed depends on why it was made, how the rest of the bowel works, the strength of the back passage muscle, and your general health. Dr Harsh Shah looks at the old operation notes, a CT scan and, where needed, a camera test of the remaining bowel before he advises on it. For some people, a well-working stoma is the safer and better long-term choice. That decision is made with you, not for you.

The operations, when the stoma stays

The main choices are laparoscopic mesh repair (Sugarbaker or keyhole), an open mesh repair, or moving the stoma to the other side of the belly.
  1. Laparoscopic Sugarbaker repair. This is Dr Harsh Shah’s usual choice for a planned repair when the stoma stays. Under general anaesthesia, three or four small cuts are made well away from the stoma. The bowel in the hernia is gently freed and brought back inside. The stretched hole is narrowed with stitches. A large coated mesh, made to lie safely against the bowel, is then fixed to the inside of the wall. The bowel going to the stoma is laid flat along the wall, under the mesh, so that it passes out at the side of the mesh rather than through a hole in it. Published reviews have found that the hernia comes back less often with this method than with the keyhole method.
  2. Laparoscopic keyhole repair. Here the coated mesh has a slit and a central hole. The bowel passes through that hole. It is simpler to place, but the hole in the mesh can stretch in time. It is used when the bowel to the stoma is too short or too fixed to lie along the wall. Some surgeons combine both methods, called a sandwich repair.
  3. Open repair. An open cut, near or away from the stoma, is used when the belly is too scarred for a safe laparoscopy, when there is also a large incisional hernia in the midline, or in an emergency with trapped bowel. The mesh is placed behind the muscles where possible. Stitching the gap without mesh has a high rate of return, so it is kept for an emergency in a dirty field. Large, complex cases are covered on the page for complex and recurrent hernia.
  4. Moving the stoma (resiting). The stoma is taken down and brought out at a fresh spot, usually on the other side of the belly, and the old site is repaired. It is useful when the skin around the old stoma is badly damaged, or the stoma itself has other problems. The new site can also develop a hernia, so mesh is often used there too.

Laparoscopic or open — choosing for your stoma

Laparoscopic mesh repair suits most planned repairs. Open repair suits a heavily scarred belly, a large midline hernia as well, or an emergency.
PointLaparoscopic SugarbakerLaparoscopic keyholeOpen mesh repairResiting the stoma
Cuts3 to 4 small cuts away from the stoma3 to 4 small cutsOne larger cutNew stoma site plus repair of the old one
MeshCoated mesh, bowel passes at its edgeCoated mesh with a hole for the bowelMesh behind the muscle where possibleOften mesh at both sites
Chance of returnLower of the two keyhole methodsHigher; the hole can stretchVaries with size and layerNew hernia can form at the new site
Hospital stayUsually 2 to 4 nightsUsually 2 to 4 nightsUsually 4 to 7 nightsUsually 4 to 7 nights
SuitsMost planned repairsShort or fixed bowel to the stomaScarred belly, large midline hernia, emergencyDamaged skin, other stoma problems

No method removes the risk of the hernia coming back. Being honest about that matters, because the decision to operate depends on it. For many people, a repair that makes the bag seal again for years is a good result even if a small bulge returns later.

When Dr Harsh Shah advises waiting, or a different plan

Surgery is delayed while weight, sugar, cough or smoking are improved, and while any unexplained symptom is checked first.

When a belt has not been tried. If the main problem is a leaking bag, a review by a stoma nurse and a fitted belt come first. Many people need nothing more.

When the risk factors can be improved. A large body weight, high sugar, a cough or smoking all raise the chance of the repair failing or the wound getting infected. Some months spent on these can make the operation safer and the result last longer.

When the bowel itself needs checking. Any bleeding from the stoma, a change in its output, weight loss you cannot explain or anaemia is investigated before a planned hernia repair.

When closing the stoma may be possible. If the stoma might be closed in the near future, it may be wiser to wait and deal with both at one operation.

What patients say

Your patient journey — five steps

  1. Book your consultation. Call or send a WhatsApp message to book a visit at Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna. Bring the notes of the operation that made your stoma, any CT scans, and the bag system you use. Wear clothes that let the stoma be seen standing and lying.
  2. Tests and treatment plan. A CT scan of the abdomen, taken while you strain if possible, shows the size of the hole and what is inside the hernia. A camera test of the remaining bowel is added where it is due. Blood tests and fitness checks follow. You leave knowing which option is advised: belt, repair, resiting or closure.
  3. The surgery. At Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad, under general anaesthesia. You are asked to bring spare bags. A laparoscopic repair usually takes two to three hours.
  4. Short hospital stay. Usually two to four nights after a laparoscopic repair, longer after an open repair or resiting. The stoma starts working again within a day or two. You go home once you are eating, the stoma is working and pain is controlled with tablets.
  5. Follow-up and full healing. A wound and stoma check at about one week and a review at about six weeks. A support belt is often advised for some months. Heavy lifting waits about eight to twelve weeks.

Cost, insurance and admission

The cost depends mainly on the operation chosen, the size and type of coated mesh, the number of nights and the room. An itemised estimate follows your CT scan.

Coated meshes that can lie against the bowel cost more than the plain meshes used in groin hernias, and a parastomal repair often needs a large one. A stay of several nights, an open repair, a resiting or a stoma closure each change the estimate. Dr Harsh Shah’s team gives you an itemised estimate after the CT scan is reviewed. More on what moves the cost of hernia surgery.

Repair of a parastomal hernia is covered by most health insurance policies. Cashless treatment is available at Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad. Pre-authorisation is sent with the CT report and the plan, so the insurer knows if a stoma closure or resiting is part of it. See your hernia insurance claim.

Recovery and risks

Expect a few days in hospital and a slow return to full activity over two to three months. Recurrence is more common than after other hernia repairs.

The usual course. Soreness at the cuts and around the stoma for one to two weeks. The stoma may be swollen at first and settle over a few weeks, so the bag size may need changing. A nurse checks the bag fit before you go home.

Risks to know about. Injury to the bowel while freeing it, which is repaired at once if found. A short spell of slow bowel or a blockage. Problems with the stoma’s blood supply. Infection of the wound or, rarely, of the mesh, which may then need removal. Fluid collecting under the skin. A hernia that comes back, which is more common here than with other hernias, and is more likely with weight gain, cough or smoking.

Questions patients ask

Can a parastomal hernia go away on its own?

No. The hole in the wall does not close by itself. A belt can hold it in and ease symptoms, but it does not repair it.

Is a support belt enough?

For many people, yes. If the bag seals well and there is no pain or blockage, a fitted belt and a stoma nurse review may be all you need. Surgery is for a hernia that causes real trouble.

What is the Sugarbaker repair?

A laparoscopic repair in which a coated mesh is fixed inside the belly over the hernia, and the bowel to the stoma runs flat along the wall and out at the edge of the mesh. Published reviews have found a lower rate of return than with the keyhole method.

Will my stoma be moved?

Usually not. Most planned repairs keep the stoma where it is. Moving it is advised when the skin around it is badly damaged or the stoma has other problems.

Can my stoma be closed instead?

Sometimes. If the stoma was made to be temporary, or the bowel can now be safely rejoined, closing it may be the better answer. This depends on why the stoma was made, the rest of the bowel and your health.

I have a urostomy. Can it be repaired?

Yes. The same principles apply. The repair is planned with care for the short piece of bowel that carries urine, and the urology team's notes are reviewed first.

Will the hernia come back after repair?

It can. Parastomal hernias come back more often than other hernias, whatever the method. A well-placed mesh, weight control, stopping smoking and a support belt in the early months lower the risk.

What signs mean I should go to hospital at once?

A hard, painful bulge that will not go back, the stoma turning dark or black, the stoma stopping working with vomiting and a swollen belly. These need the same-day care of a hospital.

Where Dr Harsh Shah sees and operates

Dr Harsh Shah — Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad
Plot No. 1 A, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Dr Jivraj Mehta Marg, Vasna, Ahmedabad 380007
Directions to Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna · +91 63555 64601

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Hernia Surgery — Dr Harsh Shah
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