DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i07.045

Pages: 2523-2526

Hernias represent one of the most frequent surgically correctable problems in children and one of the most common procedures performed by a pediatric surgeon. A hernia can develop in the first few months after the baby is born because of a weakness in the muscles of the abdomen. Once the diagnosis of a hernia is made, surgical repair will be performed. Most low- and middle-income countries are unable to provide this essential surgery to the general public, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Between the years Mar. 2013 –Sep. 2015 we evaluated 314 patients with different types of hernia in child age ranged between less than month and up to more than ten years in Bahri Teaching Hospital at pediatric surgery unit to assess pattern, prevalence, presentation, management and complications. In this study, 314 patients were evaluated, all between the ages of less than one month and more than 10 years. Male to female ratio was 5:1. Inguinal hernia was at right, left, and bilateral sides in 159 (76%), 42 (20%) and 8 (4%) of the patients, respectively. 93 (29.6%) patients of umbilical hernia and 7 (2.2%) of patients with para umbilical hernia. 266 (84.7%) of patients underwent elective repair, 21(6.7%) of patients by emergency repair and 27(8.6%) of patients treated non surgically like umbilical hernia because the age less than 3 years and some inguinal hernia as the age of patients less than 2 month and had associated comorbidities kept of them for close follow up. Our results showed that inguinal and umbilical hernia is among the most frequent types of hernia in the pediatric population. Regarding age distribution, approximately 59.6% of patients were from age group 1 – 5 years, which shows that the majority of hernias appears early in life, the fact that should raise the attention of people, parents, pediatrician and surgeon about this common and easily managed condition if treated at earlier time i.e. before obstruction, strangulation or incarceration. As in