Most members of the board of governors at the Americas Hernia Society aim to redefine the field of hernia care as abdominal core health, the discipline as abdominal core surgery, and the identity of associated clinicians as abdominal core surgeons. The abdominal core is defined as the circumferential soft tissues of the diaphragm superiorly, the pelvic floor inferiorly, and the abdominal wall and flank anterolaterally, excluding the abdominopelvic viscera (Figure). This concept has been described before, as outlined by Wood et al.¹ The field of abdominal core health encompasses the stability and function of the abdominal core and associated quality of life. Maintenance of abdominal core health may include exercise, physical therapy, medical therapy (including compression garment or truss use), alternative medical therapies (including acupuncture or yoga), surgical intervention, and measures to prevent disease (eg, hernia prophylaxis). Disease processes involving abdominal core health include intrinsic diseases of the abdominal wall (eg, hernia, diastasis, athletic pubalgia or core muscle injury, benign tumors, malignant tumors) and extrinsic diseases of the abdominal wall (eg, prosthetic or intervention-associated complications, benign tumors, malignant tumors).

美洲疝协会的多数理事会成员旨在将疝护理领域重新定义为腹核心健康，将学科重新定义为腹核心手术，并将相关临床医生的身份重新定义为腹核心外科医师。腹核定义为上the肌的周向软组织，下盆骨底部，腹壁和腹侧面，不包括腹腔盆腔脏器（图）。如Wood等人所述，以前已经描述了这个概念。^1个腹核心健康领域包括腹核心的稳定性和功能以及相关的生活质量。维持腹部核心健康可能包括运动，物理治疗，药物治疗（包括使用压缩衣或使用桁架），替代药物治疗（包括针灸或瑜伽），外科手术干预和预防疾病的措施（例如，预防疝气）。涉及腹核心健康的疾病过程包括腹壁的内在疾病（例如疝气，腹泻，运动性耻骨痛或核心肌肉损伤，良性肿瘤，恶性肿瘤）和腹壁的外在疾病（例如假体或与干预相关的并发症，良性肿瘤，恶性肿瘤）。