What is an inguinal hernia? Can it be cured?

Inguinal hernia is a congenital pathology, accounting for 0.8-4.4% of the pathology in children. Inguinal hernia seems simple but can cause dangerous complications for children if parents are subjective and do not treat it in time.

During the embryonic period, around the seventh month, when the testicle descends into the scrotum, it pulls along the peritoneal fold to form a tubular sac called the peritoneal tubule. Normally, when a baby is born, this tube closes, but for some reason, the tube does not close, allowing organs in the abdomen such as intestines, ovaries (in girls) to enter and cause some complications. Normally, the trapped abdominal organs in the inguinal canal can compress the testicular vasculature, reduce blood supply to the testicles, can also compress the intestines, and other organs are trapped in the testicle. there. In some cases, if not operated in time, it will lead to intestinal strangulation, very dangerous bowel necrosis.
The disease accounts for 0.8-4.4% of the diseases in children. In premature infants the frequency is even higher, up to 30% depending on gestational age.
The disease occurs in both sexes, but boys have a 3-10 times higher incidence than girls.
The disease can occur on one or both sides of the child's groin, more often on the right side (60%) than on the left (25%), or sometimes on both sides (15%).

An inguinal hernia presents as a bulge in the inguinal scrotum in boys and in the proximal labia in girls. This bulge often appears larger when the baby cries, pushes to defecate or after vigorous exercise such as running, jumping or exercising. When the child is resting or lying down, the hernia can go back into the abdomen on its own, then the baby will look normal again.
A strangulated inguinal hernia when the child's inguinal region has a hard, painful bulge that may not be palpable. Most of the children were admitted to the hospital with irritability, crying and pain (for older children) and aborting and vomiting (for young children). Usually, there is a rising and falling mass in the groin area before in the child, now the mass is swollen and not collapsing as usual. In this case, if not operated in time, it can cause complications such as intestinal necrosis, which is life-threatening to the child.

Inguinal hernia in children is a congenital disease that does not go away on its own. If not treated, complications of strangulation will occur, leading to the following consequences:
Intestines and ovaries (in girls) in the abdomen can enter the peritoneal canal causing strangulation leading to necrosis of the intestines and ovaries if not treated. surgery in a timely manner. Testicular damage: The blood vessels supplying the testicles are compressed due to the internal organs being blocked. The only treatment for this pathology is surgery. The current trend is to treat it early when detecting the disease to prevent complications of strangulation. This means that all ages (except in cases of premature birth or severe comorbidities) can have inguinal hernia surgery. Small incision about 3-4cm in the inguinal fold area, very difficult to see and ensure aesthetics. Usually the incision heals and the sutures are removed after seven days.
In the past, surgery for inguinal hernia was usually open (brake surgery). However, at Vinmec International General Hospital, it pioneered the application of endoscopic techniques for treating inguinal hernias. The biggest advantage of laparoscopic surgery is that the surgeon can easily see the vas deferens and blood vessels supplying the testicles, and at the same time can stitch the peritoneal canal (the cause of inguinal hernia in children) without touching the vas deferens or the blood vessels supplying the testicles. Therefore, laparoscopic surgery avoids two dangerous complications, namely vasectomy or testicular atrophy, complications that can be encountered during open surgery.
In addition, endoscopy also allows assessment of the contralateral peritoneal tube and suture immediately if it is still open. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inguinal hernia on the opposite side.