+91 63555 64601

+91 63555 64601

Facebook X-twitter Linkedin Youtube Instagram
Schedule an Appointment
Get Appointment
+91 63555 64601
Chat on Whatsapp
Facebook X-twitter Linkedin Youtube Instagram
Book Appointment

Spigelian Hernia Surgery in Ahmedabad

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

Call the clinic
Book a consultation

You may have had a pain low on one side of your belly for months. It comes when you lift, cough or stand for long, and it settles when you lie down. Often there is no lump to see. Then an ultrasound or a CT scan names it: a Spigelian hernia. This is an uncommon hernia, and it hides well. This page explains what it is, why it is usually repaired once it is found, and how Dr Harsh Shah repairs it, most often by laparoscopy and sometimes by an open operation.

In short: a Spigelian hernia is a small gap at the side of the lower belly. It is usually repaired once found, most often by laparoscopic mesh repair.

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, Spigelian hernia surgeon, Ahmedabad

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

Call +91 63555 64601 WhatsApp your ultrasound or CT report

What a Spigelian hernia is, and why it hides

A Spigelian hernia pushes through a weak band of tissue beside the long front belly muscle, low on one side. It often lies under an intact muscle, so it may not show.

Down the front of your belly run two long, flat muscles, one on each side of the midline. Along the outer edge of each muscle lies a band of strong tissue where the side muscles join it. This band is called the Spigelian fascia. Below the level of the navel the band is weaker. A small gap can open there, and fat or a loop of bowel can push through it. That is a Spigelian hernia.

Most hernias push straight out under the skin, so you see and feel a lump. A Spigelian hernia is different. It usually slips in between the layers of the side muscles. The outer muscle stays whole and lies over it like a lid. So the bulge may be small, may come and go, or may not be seen at all, mostly in a person who carries some weight around the waist.

That is why the usual story is pain without a lump. The pain sits at one point, low and to one side. It is worse when you strain and better when you rest. Some people are told it is a muscle pull, a kidney stone or a gut problem before the hernia is found. There is a fuller note on why a Spigelian hernia is hard to find.

It is seen most often in adults past middle age. Things that load the belly wall add to the risk: weight gain, several pregnancies, a long cough, constipation, and previous surgery on the belly.

How the diagnosis is made

The diagnosis usually needs a scan. An ultrasound done while you strain, or a CT scan, shows the gap in the belly wall and what has pushed through it.

Dr Harsh Shah examines you lying down and then standing, and asks you to cough and to tense the belly. Over a Spigelian gap there is often a point that is tender to press. Sometimes a soft swelling can be felt. Often it cannot, because the outer muscle hides it.

  1. Ultrasound with straining. A good first test. The scan is done at rest and again while you bear down, so the gap opens and the hernia moves. It works well in slim people.
  2. CT scan of the abdomen. Used when the ultrasound is not clear, when you carry more weight, or when the plan needs a map of the whole wall. It shows the size of the gap and what is inside the sac.
  3. Laparoscopy itself. Now and then the scans are not clear and the pain is typical. A look inside with the camera can settle it, and the hernia can be repaired in the same sitting if it is found. This is agreed with you in advance.

Bring every scan you have already had, with the films or the CD if you have them. A report alone sometimes misses the hernia. There is a note on ultrasound or CT for a hernia.

Why it is repaired, even when it is small

The neck of a Spigelian hernia is narrow and its edges are firm. Bowel can get trapped in it, so planned repair is usually advised once the diagnosis is made.

With a groin hernia that causes no trouble, watching and waiting can be a fair choice. A Spigelian hernia is not the same. Its opening is often small, a few centimetres or less, and its edge is a stiff band of tissue. A loop of bowel or fat that slips through a small, firm ring is more likely to get stuck there. Once stuck, its blood supply can be cut off. That is an emergency.

For this reason, most surgeons and the hernia guidelines advise repair once a Spigelian hernia is confirmed, as long as you are fit for an operation. A planned repair is a shorter, simpler and safer operation than one done at night for a trapped bowel.

The warning signs not to sit on are these: a lump that has become hard and painful and will not go back, pain that keeps getting worse, vomiting, a swollen belly, or no passing of wind. Go to a hospital the same day. The note on warning signs of a trapped hernia lists them in full.

The operation: laparoscopic repair

In laparoscopic repair, three small cuts away from the hernia let the surgeon free the sac, close the gap and lay a mesh over it from the inside.

For most planned Spigelian hernias, Dr Harsh Shah advises laparoscopic repair. It is done under general anaesthesia. A camera and two thin instruments go in through three small cuts, placed away from the hernia. From the inside, the gap is easy to see, even when it could not be felt from the outside. This is the main reason laparoscopy suits this hernia so well.

There are three ways to place the mesh by laparoscopy. The choice depends on where the gap is and on your past surgery.

  1. TAPP (transabdominal preperitoneal). The camera enters the belly. The thin inner lining is lifted off the wall as a flap. The sac is pulled back, the gap is closed with stitches, and a flat mesh is laid in the space between muscle and lining. The flap is then closed over the mesh, so the bowel never touches it. This is the usual choice.
  2. TEP (totally extraperitoneal). The same layer is reached without entering the belly at all. It suits a low gap close to the groin, and it allows a groin hernia on the same side to be repaired at once.
  3. IPOM (intraperitoneal onlay mesh). A special coated mesh, made to lie against the bowel, is fixed to the inside of the wall over the closed gap. It is used when the lining cannot be lifted safely, for example after earlier surgery in that area.

The mesh is a light, wide-pore polypropylene sheet, cut to cover the gap by several centimetres in every direction. A mesh that is too small is a common reason any hernia comes back. Fixation is with absorbable tacks or glue, kept away from the nerves and vessels. Laparoscopy also lets the surgeon check the other side and both groins, as hernias here sometimes come in pairs. Any second hernia is repaired only if you have agreed to it beforehand.

Laparoscopic or open — choosing for your hernia

Laparoscopic repair suits most planned Spigelian hernias. Open repair is chosen for an emergency with trapped bowel, a very large hernia, or when general anaesthesia is unsafe.
PointLaparoscopic repairOpen repair
CutsThree small cuts, away from the herniaOne cut of a few centimetres over the hernia
Finding a hidden gapEasy, seen from insideNeeds a marked spot from the scan
AnaesthesiaGeneralGeneral, or spinal in some cases
Mesh layerBehind the muscle (TAPP, TEP) or inside the belly (IPOM)Behind or between the muscles
Other side and groins checkedYesNo
Hospital stayOften one nightOne to two nights
Wound problemsFewerA little more common
SuitsMost planned repairsEmergencies, very large hernias, unfit for general anaesthesia

A small trial and several case series have compared the two. Laparoscopic repair has shown a shorter stay and fewer wound problems, with a similar rate of the hernia coming back. The open repair is still a sound operation. When bowel is trapped and may be damaged, open surgery lets the surgeon check the bowel and remove a piece if needed. Dr Harsh Shah also does the open hernia repair when it is the right choice. You will be told which route he advises for you, and why.

When Dr Harsh Shah advises waiting, or a different plan

Repair is delayed when another problem must be treated first, such as a chest condition, uncontrolled sugar, or unexplained weight loss.

When the pain may not be the hernia. A small gap on the scan does not always explain a pain. If the pain does not match, other causes are checked first, such as a kidney stone, an ovarian cyst or a nerve pain.

When the strain must be dealt with first. A long cough, constipation, or straining to pass urine pull on a fresh repair. These are treated first where possible. Stopping smoking before surgery helps the wound and the mesh to heal.

When something else is unexplained. Weight loss you cannot explain, a change in bowel habit or anaemia on a blood test are looked into before a planned hernia repair.

When you are not fit yet. Sugar, blood pressure and heart or lung problems are brought under control before surgery. If the risk of anaesthesia stays high, an open repair under spinal anaesthesia may be the safer plan.

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 your scans, your medicine list and any old operation notes. Note where the pain is and what brings it on.
  2. Tests and treatment plan. If the scan is not clear, an ultrasound with straining or a CT is arranged. Blood tests, an ECG and a check by the anaesthetist follow. You leave knowing the route, the mesh plan and what happens if a second hernia is found.
  3. The surgery. At Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad, under general anaesthesia in most cases. A laparoscopic repair takes about one hour. You walk the same evening.
  4. Short hospital stay. Most people go home the next morning, once they are eating, walking and passing urine. You go home with tablets, a list of warning signs and a phone number that is answered.
  5. Follow-up and full healing. A wound check at about one week and a review at about six weeks. Desk work in about a week. Heavy lifting and gym work are built up slowly from about six weeks.

Cost, insurance and admission

There is no fixed price. The cost depends on the route, the mesh, the length of stay and your room. An itemised estimate is given after examination.

The estimate is prepared once Dr Harsh Shah has examined you and seen the scan. The main things that move it are the route (laparoscopic uses more single-use items), the type and size of mesh, whether a coated mesh is needed, the number of nights and the room category. An emergency repair with trapped bowel costs more than a planned one.

Spigelian hernia repair is covered by most health insurance policies once any waiting period is over. Cashless treatment is available at Dr. Jivraj Mehta Hospital, Vasna, Ahmedabad. Our coordinator sends the pre-authorisation with the scan and the examination findings, and tells you what is approved before admission. Read more on hernia surgery cost in Ahmedabad and on your insurance claim.

On the day of admission, bring your photo ID, your insurance card and policy papers, all scans and reports, and your medicines in their strips.

Recovery, risks and the chance of it coming back

Most people walk the same day and go home the next. Soreness settles over one to two weeks. Recurrence after a well-sized mesh repair is uncommon.

The usual course. Soreness at the cuts and at the hernia site for a week or so, worse when you get up from bed or cough. A few days of shoulder-tip ache from the gas used in laparoscopy. A firm swelling where the sac was is often fluid, called a seroma. It usually settles on its own in a few weeks and is not drained unless it is large or painful.

Less common problems. Bleeding, bruising, wound infection, pain that lasts beyond healing, and rarely injury to the bowel during the operation, which is repaired at once if it happens. Mesh infection is rare.

The chance of it coming back. A Spigelian hernia repaired with a well-sized mesh comes back in only a small number of people. When it does, the cause is often clear: a mesh that was too small, heavy lifting too soon, or ongoing strain from cough or constipation. Smoking and weight gain raise the risk, and both are in your control.

Questions patients ask

I have pain but no lump. Can it still be a Spigelian hernia?

Yes. This is common with this hernia, because it often lies under a muscle layer that hides it. A scan done while you strain usually shows it. If scans are not clear and the pain is typical, a laparoscopy can confirm and repair it in one sitting.

Is surgery always needed?

In most adults who are fit for surgery, yes. The narrow, firm opening makes trapped bowel more likely than in many other hernias. Planned repair avoids an emergency operation. In someone who is very unwell, the risk is weighed with them and their family.

Will a mesh be used?

Usually yes. Closing the gap with stitches alone has a higher chance of the hernia coming back. A light, wide-pore mesh is laid behind the muscle in most cases. The note on which mesh is used explains the types.

How long will I stay in hospital?

Most people stay one night after a laparoscopic repair. An open repair, or an emergency repair, may need one or two more nights.

When can I go back to work?

Desk work in about one week for most people. Work that needs heavy lifting usually waits about four to six weeks. Driving is fine once you can brake hard without pain.

Can a Spigelian hernia be repaired along with another operation?

Sometimes. If you also need, for example, a gallbladder removed or a groin hernia repaired, both may be done in one sitting. This depends on the two operations and is planned in advance.

Will a hernia belt help?

A belt rarely helps a Spigelian hernia, because the hernia lies under a muscle layer where the belt cannot hold it. It does not prevent the bowel from getting trapped.

What signs mean I should go to hospital at once?

A painful, hard lump that will not go back, pain that keeps rising, vomiting, a swollen belly, or no passing of wind. These can mean trapped bowel. Go to the nearest hospital the same day.

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

Call the clinic
Book a consultation
Rate this page

Get health updates from Dr Harsh Shah on WhatsApp

Swasth Parivar: every week, practical advice on recovery, diet and warning signs. No advertising. Stop any time.

Your number is used for these updates and for the clinic to reach you. It is never sold or passed on. To stop, reply STOP on WhatsApp.

Hernia Surgery — Dr Harsh Shah
Hernia Surgery — Dr Harsh Shah
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.