Hernia is the displacement of internal organs (uterus, intestines, bladder, omentum, etc.) into nearby cavities or under the skin through natural (umbilical ring, inguinal canal) or artificial (rupture of the abdominal cavity) openings along with the peritoneum, which covers the above organs.
Inguinal hernia in a child - displacement of internal organs (omentum, bladder, intestinal loops) through the inguinal canal into the scrotum. The hernia gate is an enlarged abdominal
inguinal ring. The abdominal wall in the inguinal zone has two channels of the same name (left and right). In the prenatal period, the parietal sheet of the peritoneum protrudes into the inguinal canal, which lines the inguinal canal and forms the vaginal canal. Dropping below, the parietal sheet of the peritoneum lines the cavity of the scrotum (common vaginal membrane). Through the vaginal canal during the development of the body, the testes descend into the seminal sac (scrotum).
The vaginal canal is a funnel-shaped gap that forms between the internal and oblique muscles of the abdomen.
The canal begins with an internal opening, which is called the abdominal (internal) inguinal ring, and ends with an external opening - the external (subcutaneous) inguinal ring. The abdominal inguinal ring is an oblong hole that forms between the back of the aponeurosis of the internal oblique muscle of the peritoneum and the puparta (inguinal) ligament.
As a rule, an inguinal hernia in a child is congenital. This pathology occurs due to a violation of the obliteration of the vaginal process of the peritoneum. The latter, in turn, is involved in the migration of the testis from the peritoneal cavity to the testis in boys or in case of insufficiency of the walls of the inguinal canal in girls.
If the vaginal process does not disappear, an inguinal hernia or dropsy occurs. As a rule, a unilateral inguinal hernia in a child is most often recorded, and on the right three times more often. In boys, this pathology is observed more often, which is associated with the lowering of the testis. Acquired inguinal hernia in a child is recorded extremely rarely. Typically, such hernias are observed in boys over ten years of age with severe weakness of the anterior abdominal wall or with increased load. The hernial contents in a child, as a rule, are represented by intestinal loops, at an older age - omentum and intestinal loops. Quite often, ovaries get into the
hernial sac in girls.
Inguinal hernia: treatment
The main treatment for inguinal hernia is surgery. Innovative methods of pain management allow surgery at any age. The main goal of surgical treatment is a hernia sac dressing.
Umbilical hernia after childbirth is a common occurrence. The mechanism of the development of the disease is associated with a deficiency of collagen in the connective tissue. In infants, the umbilical ring is very wide, which contributes to the exit of intestinal loops into the hernial sac. Since the umbilical ring in a child closes by the age of one year, therefore, umbilical hernia in infants is rarely recorded. If the umbilical ring does not close, then this problem is solved using surgical methods.