29.03.2024

Inguinal hernia in a newborn

Inguinal hernia is a serious disease that requires attention from medical staff and parents. This is a pathological condition in which the organs of the abdominal cavity of the child (part of the intestine, omentum or ovary) exit through its wall in the groin area.

Inguinal hernia in a newborn is most often diagnosed on the right side. In most cases, the disease occurs in boys.

An inguinal hernia in an infant is congenital. The disease is often combined with other defects of the abdominal cavity, malformations of the nervous system and orthopedic problems.

Causes

The main causes of inguinal hernia in an infant are weakness of the connective tissue of the abdominal wall and a hereditary predisposition to underdevelopment of the peritoneum.

Inguinal hernia in newborn girls is usually caused by impaired fixation of the uterus and ovaries. This protrusion of the female genital organs is considered very dangerous and requires urgent treatment, since the blood flow in the organs is disturbed, the developing ovaries are subjected to pathological pressure, as a result of which they can simply atrophy and die, being immature.

Inguinal hernia in newborn boys is usually associated with a delay in lowering the testes into the cavity of the scrotum during fetal development. Due to slow lowering, a separate section of the abdominal wall may remain unclosed. Most often, an inguinal hernia in a baby boy is determined genetically.

Predisposing causes of inguinal hernia are :

  • overweight baby;
  • trauma or shock to the abdominal wall;
  • physical stress associated with prolonged crying;
  • postoperative scars.
Symptoms

How to determine an inguinal hernia in a newborn? The main symptom of an inguinal hernia in an infant is an abnormal protrusion in the groin area of ​​a round shape. It can become smaller or disappear completely if the child changes the position of the body.

Many parents are interested in how to independently determine an inguinal hernia in a newborn. If you look closely, you can see a slight swelling in the form of a bump, which becomes clearer during a child’s crying, bloating and intestinal colic, constipation and straining of the abdominal cavity. An inguinal hernia is soft to the touch and does not cause discomfort in the baby.

An inguinal hernia should be reported to your doctor. Compression of the protruded internal organs by the hernia gate can lead to their infringement – a dangerous and extremely painful condition for the child. After this, the protrusion becomes firm and motionless, the situation is complicated by other symptoms. Infringement of the inguinal-scrotal hernia in newborns requires urgent surgical intervention.

Sexual differences in inguinal hernia

Inguinal hernia in a baby boy rarely causes discomfort and discomfort. The kid is active and cheerful, so young parents do not seek help from a doctor (some do not even know what an inguinal hernia looks like in newborn boys).

But such carelessness on the part of parents can cause complications. Intestinal fragments may grow into the hernial sac (in girls, the ovaries). As a result of fusion, they cease to be supplied with blood, necrosis and the inflammatory process begin. Atrophy of the area of ​​the intestine, squeezed by a hernia gate, can occur within 24 hours. Against this background, the food entering the body cannot pass through the squeezed section of the intestine, and begins to accumulate above it. The child stops excreting feces, there is vomiting and bloating.

Inguinal hernia in a baby girl can lead to pinching of the fallopian tube and ovary, which begins to atrophy without surgical treatment. As the ovarian tissue dies, the pain disappears.

In both cases, surgical assistance is needed.

Diagnostics

Symptoms of inguinal hernia in infants should be reported to a pediatrician or surgeon. Diagnosis of the disease consists in examining and palpating the inguinal protrusion, collecting an anamnesis and ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, inguinal tubules in boys and the pelvis in girls. If necessary, irrigography is performed.

Complications

The main complication is pinching the hernia. Circulatory disturbance in pinched organs occurs instantly. Untimely medical care is dangerous for the development of acute intestinal obstruction, necrosis of the hernial sac.

Injury of a hernia in girls, which led to the death of the ovary, will subsequently affect the hormonal background, the reproductive system and the physical development of the child as a whole.

Treatment

Treatment of inguinal hernia in newborn boys and girls is carried out mainly by surgery. Medication and any other treatment is considered ineffective. Since there is always a risk of infringement of internal organs, it is necessary to treat the child as soon as possible.

Most often, surgical treatment is carried out from the moment when the baby is 6 months old. The operation is performed using general anesthesia; it lasts no more than a quarter of an hour. Since the inguinal ring at this age is partially formed, the surgeon cuts off the hernial sac.

In the future, it is recommended to wear a bandage for newborns from an inguinal hernia, which prevents the prolapse and prolapse of the hernial sac. A bandage should be worn on the baby every day strictly in a horizontal position of the body. At first, most likely, the child will be dissatisfied with wearing a bandage, but very soon he will get used to it.

Children with a weakened body, especially premature, inguinal hernia are initially treated with medical methods. Atropine and Promedol preparations can cope with this task. Dry heat to the groin area and warm baths are also recommended. Conservative treatment does not always cope with this pathology, however, like wearing a newborn bandage for an inguinal hernia, therefore, the final stage of treatment will be surgery. For this, the baby needs to be a little stronger and gain the necessary weight.

Prevention

To prevent the formation of inguinal hernia in a child, it is important to monitor his nutrition (feed by age), the functioning of the intestine, and prevent intense physical exertion. With a small child, you can engage in physical therapy aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles. A beneficial effect on the condition of the whole organism and the abdominal wall, in particular, is provided by massage.

An inguinal hernia in a newborn is a common condition requiring surgical treatment. If the first signs of trouble are identified, you should consult a doctor. If there is an indication for the operation, you can not put it off, since an untreated inguinal hernia is fraught with serious complications.

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