Friday, December 11, 2020

What is Pediatric Hernia – a Brief Explanation

 



 About 3-5% of the child develop inguinal hernia and the stats rise up to 30% if the baby is prematurely born. Get to know about the inguinal hernia from the best pediatric hernia surgeon in Kolkata.

 

What is pediatric hernia?

The story of pediatric hernia begins from the time when the baby is in mother’s womb. During the development of the foetus the testicles are first developed inside the abdomen and then it goes down to the testicle through a canal known as the inguinal canal which later gets sealed on its own. In some case this tunnel doesn’t get completely sealed and a piece of bowel can trap.


How to identify pediatric hernia?

Hernias canoccur at any age but are mostly noticeable after a few weeks or months of birth. If your child has hernia you can see a bulge on the groin or the scrotum. Generally it can grow large when your child is crying or straining and again get back smaller when sleeping (i.e. relaxed). Though there are some myths that crying and straining can cause hernia which is completely not true.

Doctors can identify the hernia very easily while examining them by seeing a bulge when he/she is crying and getting smaller when relaxed.

But what a doctor sees is different from what you see in the house. If there is a constant bulge then probably there’s a chance that it’s not a hernia rather it might be a mass. Rarely ultrasound is recommended for examining hernia.


How to treat?

Unfortunately there is no other option treat a hernia but to go for a surgery. The surgery is scheduled to close the tunnel. The timing of the surgery will depend upon the severity of the hernia. If it is an incarcerated hernia then immediate procedure needs to be arranged.



What kind of surgery is done?

A small incision is made near the bulge where the bowel is pushed back to the abdomen and the tunnel is closed.

If laparoscopy is approached then tiny incisions are made to insert the instruments and push back the bowel inside.

If bowel is trapped in hernia (incarcerated or strangulated) then the surgeon make sure that the blood supply is not stopped for a long time and then the part of bowel that is stuck is cutoff and the bowels are sewn back.

Generally the surgery takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour. The surgery is performed using general anaesthesia. After he/she gains consciousness you will get to see your child. There might be some pain in the area of incision but painkillers will be recommended by the doctor. The child will be sent to home on the same day. But if the child is a premature baby then the doctor might keep him/her for a one day observation.

 

Post-Surgery:

Home-care instructions can be different depending on the hospital or surgeon, age of the child, and how complex the surgery was. However, some general principles may be similar:

Most children can eat a regular diet right after surgery.

Recovery time depends on the child. Most can go back to normal, non-strenuous activities in about 1-2 weeks.

Your child will be restricted from bathing for 2-3 days post-surgery. Your surgeon may give you different or more specific instructions.

However if you notice any of the complication below then contact the doctor immediately:

Bleeding or drainage from the incision

Redness around the wound(s)

Fever above 101 F

Vomiting

Less peeing than usual or fewer wet diapers than usual

 

Having an inguinal hernia in one groin may lead to the chance of having the hernia on other groin but generally it doesn’t happen. The surgeon will give a details of the post-surgery care for your child.



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