Clinical Study of Inguinal Hernia in Pediatric Patients

ABSTRACT

This study is a retrospective analysis of 1244 cases of the inguinal hernia in children under the age of fifteen years who were operated at the department of pediatric surgery, Inje University Busan Paik Hospital from March, 1997 to February, 2007. The ratio of male to female was 3.61. The type of hernia was indirect in all of the cases. The hernia was on the right side in 656 cases (53.9 %), left side in 467 cases (37.5 %), and bilateral in 121 cases (9.7 %). The hernia presented most frequently in infants under age 12 months; 364 cases (29.2 %). Fifty-nine cases (21.7 %) were in female and 305 cases (31.3 %) in male. There were 428 cases (33.6 %) in 1-3 years age group, 295 cases (23.7 %) in 4-6 years, 112 cases (9.0 %) in 7-9 years, 39 cases (3.1 %) in 10-12 years and 16 (1.2 %) in 13-15 years. The content of hernia sac was small bowel (59 %), omentum (31 %) in males and the ovary and tube (54 %) and small bowel (26 %) in female. The incidence of combined operation at the time was 3.2 %, and consisting of orchiopexy (67.5 %), frenulotomy (12.5 %), appendectomy (10 %), circumcision (5 %), and fistulotomy (5%). The incidence of combined disease was 2.8 % and consisting of undescended testis, Hirschsprung's disease, idiopathic hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, imperforate anus, and congenital heart disease. After unilateral inguinal hernia repairs, contralateral hernias developed in 34 patients. The laterality of the primary site of hernias were left in 19 cases (55.8 %), and right 15 cases (44.1 %). The 936 cases (75.2 %) were operated under general anesthesia; Mask bagging 663 cases (53.2 %), endotracheal intubation 257 cases (20.6 %), and laryngeal mask 16 cases (1.2 %). The remainder 308 cases (24.7 %) were operated under regional caudal anesthesia.