PEDIATRIC SURGICAL EMERGENCY AND ITS RADIOLOGICAL FEATURES
(19) Incarcerated inguinal hernia in newborn infant
1977 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 69-72
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1977 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 69-72
The indirect inguinal hernia in childhood often appear within the newborn period, but rarely come on the surgical theater during first 28 days of life.
There have been 411 children subjected to herniorraphy for indirect inguinal hernia at the Department of Surgery I., Gunma University Hospital during the 20 year period from April 1957. Of these, only five were newborn infants and all of them were operated upon because of the presence of an incarcerated or strangulated hernia. This is partly because of our principle that the operation is delayed until the infant weighs over 6 kg, unless symptoms of incarceration or strangulation develop.
This is a case report of one of these newborn infants.
The patient was a 18-day-old boy. He had recurrent bouts of bile stained vomiting and melena since the 13th day of life. The scout film of the abdomen on the 18th day of life showed distention of small bowel gas with air-fluid levels, characteristic signs of distal obstruction. Physical examination revealed an incarceration of the left-sided inguinal hernia, but the film taken before the admission showed a small accumulation of gas over the right ishio-pubic area (arrow) indicating the right-sided inguinal hernia. Surgery disclosed the patency of both sides of vaginal process and the strangulated but not gangrenous terminal portion of the ileum which was not resected. The patient recovered uneventfully and discharged on the 12th postoperative day.
