At what age is it best to have a hernia surgery for a child?

Since the weather has been very hot recently, newborns at this time may easily become irritable. If you remain in this state for a long time, it will easily cause hernia problems. Therefore, parents must pay more attention to their children's daily physical condition. If a child has a hernia, surgery is required. Today we will find out when hernia surgery should be performed?

Congenital hernia is caused by the failure of the processus vaginalis to close during development, also known as patent processus vaginalis. Acquired hernia is caused by the incomplete development of the child's abdominal wall, which leads to a sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure when the child cries. Although inguinal hernias in children are prone to incarceration, they can be successfully reduced manually if discovered in time (usually within 12 hours) because of the weak abdominal wall of the children. Because children's intestines are flexible, intestinal strangulation and necrosis rarely occur even if the hernia contents become incarcerated.

Because the inguinal canal of children is still developing, its wall structures are weak and the lumen is about 2-3 cm shorter (vertically from back to front). Therefore, when treating hernia in children, you must understand:

(1) The best time to perform hernia surgery on children is between six months and one year old.

(2) When children under 3 years old undergo hernia surgery, high ligation of the hernia sac is sufficient and the inguinal canal should not be opened.

(3) The incision for pediatric hernia surgery is often made in the direction of the lowest lower abdominal skin lines, taking into account the child’s psychological tolerance and aesthetic needs.

(4) Since pediatric surgery is an emerging discipline, primary medical institutions have weak technology and simple equipment, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis and irreparable consequences. Therefore, the editor recommends that parents should take their children to the pediatric surgery department of a large hospital to avoid iatrogenic injuries.

Therefore, when a child has a hernia, don't be too nervous. Keep a calm mindset, which will help relieve the child's psychological and physical discomfort. Parents also need to pay attention to maintaining good hygiene habits for their children, but do not frequently use clean water to clean the hernia area of ​​the child.