Is hernia surgery dangerous for children?

The fastest and most effective way to treat hernia is surgery, and the chance of recurrence is also the lowest. However, any surgery will definitely involve risks. However, today's medical level and medical conditions are relatively high, and hernia surgery is only a small operation. Therefore, as long as you choose a regular hospital for treatment, the chance of danger is very small and can almost be ignored.

Clinical manifestations

Characteristic clinical manifestations: a lump that appears and disappears or changes size in the groin area or umbilicus. The lump appears or grows larger when the intra-abdominal pressure increases when the child stands or cries, while the lump disappears on its own or by pressing with the hands in the early stages of lying down or after the child stops crying. In the early stages, children usually have no significant discomfort except for the characteristic mass. Parents often bring their children to the hospital because they find a small mass in the groin, asymmetry of the scrotum, or a mass near the navel.

As age increases, the hernia sac will continue to grow and may become incarcerated and strangulated, and may even cause testicular or ovarian infarction and atrophy, so timely treatment is necessary.

examine

The typical sign is a mass of varying size in the groin area or umbilicus. In the early stages, it may disappear when the patient lies flat, but reappear after standing up or crying. B-ultrasound examination can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic measure.

diagnosis

Typical pediatric inguinal hernia or umbilical hernia can be diagnosed through detailed medical history and careful physical examination, but for children with atypical inguinal hernia symptoms, B-ultrasound and other examinations are required to assist in the diagnosis, and also to help differentiate from common pediatric diseases such as hydrocele and cryptorchidism.

treat

1. Conservative treatment

Inguinal hernia and umbilical hernia in children under 1 year old may heal on their own, so conservative treatment can be adopted. For larger or frequently prolapsed hernias, a hernia belt can be used for local compression, the purpose of which is to prevent the hernia contents from protruding. At the same time, children should try to reduce crying, coughing, constipation and other situations that increase intra-abdominal pressure. If a child is found crying and crying non-stop and the hernia cannot be retracted, it indicates that hernia incarceration may have occurred and the child should be sent to the emergency room immediately.

2. Surgery

It is generally believed that inguinal hernia in children over 1 year old cannot heal on their own and should be treated surgically. However, age is not an absolute factor. It also needs to be considered in combination with the child's own situation. For example, if the child is less than one year old but has a large inguinal hernia or recurrent incarceration, the risk of conservative treatment increases and surgical treatment should be performed in a timely manner. If the child is over one year old but has a weak constitution and the hernia is not large, surgery can be performed at a slightly older age to reduce the risks of anesthesia and surgery.

High ligation of the hernia sac is the main method for treating inguinal hernia in children. The operation is minor and is generally safe and reliable.

prevention

Hernia in children is caused by congenital developmental abnormalities, so it is difficult to prevent effectively. Avoiding premature birth and low birth weight can reduce its incidence. Avoiding situations after birth that increase intra-abdominal pressure due to crying, coughing, constipation, etc. caused by other diseases can also help reduce the incidence rate.