At what age is it better to have hernia surgery for children?

Current medical research has shown that if a child's hernia problem is treated conservatively, it can only provide relief. However, if you want to completely cure the hernia, then timely treatment through surgery is necessary. However, surgery cannot be performed immediately when a child is found to have a hernia. When is the best time to perform surgery on a child with a hernia?

Pediatric hernia is one of the common diseases in pediatric surgery. The main clinical manifestation is a reducible mass in the groin area shortly after the child is born. Most of them appear at 2 to 3 months old, but some may occur as late as 1 to 2 years old.

The acquired factors that cause hernia in children mainly refer to the increase in abdominal cavity pressure caused by excessive movements or excessive force such as coughing, constipation, crying, etc., which leads to damage of the abdominal wall membrane and protrusion of organs, thus forming a hernia. Children with hernia will experience swelling of the scrotum and generally will not feel any pain unless incarceration occurs, and it will not affect their growth and development. Hernias in infants and young children may heal on their own. If the attacks are not frequent or incarceration occurs, the infants and young children can be observed and undergo surgery after 6 months. After 6 months, the chances of spontaneous healing decrease. Routine use of blemish tape for treatment is generally not recommended, as improper use may be dangerous.

The age for hernia surgery in children is generally between 6 months and 6 years old. After the age of 6, children's activities increase and they have to go to school, which brings many inconveniences to study and exercise, so it is advisable to perform surgery before school entry. In principle, incarcerated hernia requires emergency surgery. However, incarcerated hernia in children is easy to reduce and is not as prone to intestinal necrosis as in adults. Therefore, for those with incarceration time of less than 12 hours, conservative treatment and manual reduction can be performed first, but the patient's condition must be closely monitored to avoid intestinal necrosis.

Therefore, if the child is under the required age, it is best not to perform surgery on the child to prevent the child from feeling uncomfortable, because the child develops relatively rapidly in the first six months and there is a certain possibility of self-healing. During this period, you should pay attention to maintaining a good living condition for your child and try not to let your child cry.