Can a hernia in a child heal on its own?

In life, the probability of children and the elderly suffering from hernia is very high, especially for children under one year old, who are very prone to small intestinal hernia. Generally, when children have small intestinal hernia, parents will help them take surgical treatment, because this treatment is faster and the risk is lower for children. So can children with hernia be cured?

Can a hernia in a child heal on its own?

It is possible for pediatric hernia to heal on its own, but the chance is not high. Only a small number of children's hernias can heal on their own. As the child grows and develops, the abdominal muscles become stronger and the weak areas may close.

Therefore, it is generally recommended that children under one year old whose attacks are not frequent can be observed first to see if they can heal successfully on their own. Children over one year old should undergo surgery, and babies a few months old who have frequent attacks or frequent incarceration should also undergo surgery early because elective surgery has fewer complications and lower risks than emergency surgery.

But parents should pay attention that the probability of a baby's hernia healing on its own is very small. Many "hernias" that heal on their own are actually hydrocele, which can be absorbed by the hydrocele. But many people don’t understand and mistakenly think that this is a hernia and that the hernia will heal on its own.

Does hernia in children need surgery?

Hernia in children does not necessarily require surgical treatment. Hernia belt treatment and injection treatment are also used in some places, but both of these treatment methods have major defects and risks. Traditional hernia belts use ligatures to "block" the gap, thereby preventing the small intestine from falling out of the abdominal cavity, but they cannot replace surgery for two reasons.

First, the hernia belt itself has a poor therapeutic effect. Wearing a hernia belt can only relieve symptoms and reduce the number of times the intestines fall from the abdominal cavity, but it does not cure the disease fundamentally. Second, the hernia belt also brings risks. If it compresses the spermatic cord blood vessels for a long time, it will reduce the blood supply to the testicles and affect the development of the testicles.

Injection treatment of pediatric hernia is achieved by injecting a sclerosing agent into the hernia sac to block the processus vaginalis. However, the recurrence rate after treatment is high, there are many complications, and the risks are extremely high. Since the hernia sac, spermatic cord and vas deferens are all closely attached to each other, local irritation will inevitably occur during the injection process, affecting the blood supply to the testicles. Some may even cause testicular atrophy, rupture of the vas deferens, etc., leading to complications such as infertility.

Surgical treatment of hernia in children is guaranteed

At present, minimally invasive hernia surgery uses laparoscopic surgery. Compared with traditional surgery, its biggest advantage is that it can observe the situation on both sides, in addition to less trauma and scars. Although clinically hernias are mostly unilateral, many children have bilateral hernias. Some children only have symptoms on one side, and the processus vaginalis on the other side has not closed yet, but has not yet shown up. This is called "occult hernia."

Minimally invasive surgery uses laparoscopy to perform repairs within the abdominal cavity. After repairing one side, it is possible to observe whether the processus vaginalis on the other side has not closed. If so, it can be repaired together to eliminate hidden dangers. Another advantage is that surgery is performed within the abdominal cavity without the need for

Freeing the vas deferens, spermatic cord, etc. can reduce the chance of damaging the vas deferens and spermatic cord. Since the operation causes less trauma, the postoperative reaction is mild, and the possibility of complications is low, the patient can usually be discharged from the hospital after one or two days of observation.

Surgical treatment of pediatric hernia should not be delayed

If a child under one year old fails to heal on his own, surgical treatment cannot be delayed and hernia surgery must be performed as early as possible. Delaying treatment for too long can easily lead to incarcerated hernia. Incarcerated hernia can affect the blood circulation of tissues such as the hernia contents (such as the intestines and ovaries), which over time can cause intestinal necrosis and require emergency surgery.

Intestinal necrosis is a relatively serious condition. Not only does the necrotic intestine need to be removed, but it also causes many complications and may even be life-threatening. If a boy's hernia always presses on the groin area, it can also

It can cause long-term compression of the spermatic cord and affect the development of the testicles. Sometimes girls' ovaries get stuck, which can easily lead to ovarian necrosis, and the ovaries need to be removed. Therefore, surgical treatment of pediatric hernia should never be delayed.