Inguinal hernia is a bulge of the abdominal organs. This disease is the most common in pediatric surgery and is not subject to conservative treatment. Very often, babies are born with such a pathology. For example, inguinal hernia in newborn boys is formed as a result of abnormal formation of the vaginal abdominal process, it is through it that the testicle subsequently moves to the scrotum, as well as as a result of weakened muscle walls of the inguinal canal (for the same reason in girls).
In some cases, this type of pathology develops one-sidedly (on the right). Usually in children, it appears at an early age or in the period of a newborn, in the lower abdomen (inguinal zone) you can notice a slight protrusion, which increases with a loud crying baby. To the touch, this consistency is quite elastic and soft - when lying down, the hernial sac is easily inserted into the peritoneum.
What does an inguinal hernia look like? As for the boys, their education has a round or oval shape. In the case of an oval configuration, the hernial sac passes into the scrotum - changing its asymmetry. Inguinal hernia in newborn girls is always rounded in the groin, with large sizes it sinks into the labia. Basically, such an education does not cause discomfort to the child and in a calm state is practically not noticeable and only with straining, coughing, screaming it becomes denser and bulges out.
According to medicine, more often boys suffer from inguinal hernia due to physiological characteristics. The main causes of pathology:
1. Obesity in the baby
2. Heredity (underdevelopment of the abdominal wall)
3. Physical stress
4. Injury to the abdominal wall
5. Problems with urination.
Parents, having learned that such a diagnosis was made to their baby, are undoubtedly scared, because inguinal hernia in newborns is fundamentally different from umbilical rats. If an umbilical hernia is diagnosed in most children and eventually disappears on its own (by the age of three), without requiring surgical intervention, while inguinal threatens to infringe - this is a serious threat to the life of the child, in which case an unscheduled operation is performed.
How to recognize the first symptoms of infringement
Signs of infringement, as a rule, increase gradually. The child becomes restless, constantly crying, when the abdomen is pressed, the baby screams, as pain is observed, the hernial sac protrudes very much and becomes hard, vomiting, constipation and fever are not excluded. After some time, the pain subsides - the baby develops weakness. In case of detection of such signs, it is urgent to contact a medical institution (to a surgeon).
Treatment
Unlike umbilical hernia, which in most cases is independently tightened, inguinal is removed only by surgery. Thanks to modern technology in the field of medicine, inguinal hernia in newborns is quickly removed by hernia repair. This operation can be carried out at any age and does not constitute any complexity and risk to the baby’s health. Within half an hour, the surgeon excises the hernial sac and strengthens the abdominal wall.
Weakened or seriously ill children, the removal of inguinal hernia can be delayed for a certain period (until the child recovers). The rehabilitation period after surgery is only 2-3 days and the child is discharged (with sutures) - after a week the sutures are removed, and the baby is safely recovering. In a month, parents and the child will forget about this problem, the only reminder of the hernia will be a small scar in the groin, which will eventually tighten and fade.