Inguinal hernia in children; It differs from inguinal hernia in adults in terms of formation, type and treatment technique. The formation of inguinal hernia seen in children does not occur due to forcing oneself as in adults, it is more genetic. Swelling, which is noticed in the groin in childhood and appears and disappears from time to time, should primarily bring to mind the inguinal hernia. It usually presents as a swelling that appears in the groin area with movements such as crying, coughing and straining and disappears when pushed by hand. Sometimes it can cause pain, restlessness and vomiting by compression of the bladder, intestine and gas. A hernia that cannot be sent into the abdomen with careful and gentle pressure is called a strangulated hernia. The blood supply of the trapped intestine or ovary may stop and cause gangrene. In this case, problems such as abdominal pain, bloating, inability to go out and vomiting occur, which impairs the general condition of the child. A strangulated hernia is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent surgical intervention.
Surgery is required as soon as possible
There is no treatment for hernia other than surgery, and tools such as corsets and hernia ties are not beneficial for the treatment of pediatric hernia. Inguinal hernia requires surgical intervention as soon as possible after diagnosis because of the risk of suffocation and gangrene of the organs passing through the canal. Otherwise, the intestine entering the hernia may require emergency surgery due to the risk of suffocation. The risk of emergency surgeries in children, especially infants, is much higher than the risk of surgeries performed under normal conditions.
The child with inguinal hernia surgery can be discharged on the same day
If an inguinal hernia is operated under appropriate conditions immediately after diagnosis, without an emergency, the probability of recurrence is very low. Since hernia surgery is performed as “day surgery”, the child does not need to be hospitalized and can be discharged on the same day. The basic principle in this surgery is to close the open inguinal canal and eliminate the involvement with the abdomen. Since long-acting painkillers are applied to the surgical area during the procedure, there is no pain to disturb the child after the operation. If there are symptoms such as excessive swelling, redness, pain, fever, nausea and vomiting after the surgery; If there is blood or inflammation coming from the wound, you should definitely consult your doctor.
