Common Misdiagnoses of Abdominal Hernia

An abdominal hernia describes a condition in which some of the intestine pushes out through a weak area in the abdomen. The result is often a feeling of heaviness in the area, along with pain and a visible bump in the abdomen when straining. Unfortunately, due to the low number of symptoms, some doctors may misdiagnose an abdominal hernia, leading to complications due to delayed treatment.

Proper Diagnosis Procedure

The doctor may have you cough or stand up to make the hernia easier for him to feel since it is more obvious than usual when straining. This, combined with a list of your symptoms, can allow a doctor to diagnose an abdominal hernia. If there is a question about the diagnosis, some doctors may perform an ultrasound to make sure the lump they see is indeed an abdominal hernia.

Misread Diagnosis

It is possible for doctors to misdiagnose an abdominal hernia, especially since they tend to go off of only the symptoms and a visual inspection of the abdomen. Even an ultrasound is not infallible, as it can be misread. Thus, the diagnosis can seem subjective, leading some patients to be improperly diagnosed.

Acute appendicitis also causes abdominal discomfort, especially when pressure is placed on the abdomen. However, other symptoms of this condition include loss of appetite, vomiting and a fever, none of which normally occur with an abdominal hernia.

Chronic pelvic pain is also sometimes diagnosed instead of an abdominal hernia, as the symptoms are intermittent pain in the abdominal region, a heavy feeling in the pelvis, and pain while straining for a bowel movement. In addition, lying down may relieve the discomfort. However, chronic pelvic pain does not usually present with a bump in the abdomen that shows up when you strain, so a doctor would have to ignore or simply not see this bump to diagnose this condition instead of an abdominal hernia.

A doctor may also assume that an abdominal hernia is actually interstitial cystitis. The symptoms of this condition include pelvic pain, especially when straining. Pain and increased frequency of urination also result, however, neither are symptoms of an abdominal hernia. Of course, if a patient also has a urinary tract infection and thus presents these symptoms, a misdiagnosis is particularly likely to occur.

Contact a Lawyer

If your abdominal hernia has been misdiagnosed, resulting in long-term pain or serious complications, you should contact a lawyer. An attorney can help determine whether the doctor was negligent during the diagnosis.