Incarcerated Inguinal Hernia in Children

The aim of this study was to document the data of incarceration in a group of children with inguinal hernia and to investigate whether incarceration could have been prevented. Materials and methods A retrospective study reviewed the records of 3100 children who underwent herniorrhaphy between 1989 and 2007 in one centre, with 113 patients having hernia incarceration. In 16 patients, manual reduction was not attempted because of signs of strangulation, and in the remaining ones, reduction following sedation was not successful. The patients were evaluated with respect to age, postoperative mortality, and morbidity and especially whether he or she had been scheduled for operation in a surgical department. The incidence of incarcerated inguinal hernia and risk factors were analysed. Results Of the 113 patients with incarcerated inguinal hernia, 105 were boys (92.9%), with a male to female ratio of 13:1. The majority of the patients were under one year of age (n=73); and 47 were 0‐3 months old. Three laparotomies, 7 small intestinal resection and primary anastomoses, 2 oophorectomy, 7 partial omentectomy and 8 appendectomies were performed. During the 6 months to 18 years follow‐up, testicular atrophy was seen in 4 boys. Two babies died. Scrotal oedema, testicular atrophy and mortality rate were significantly higher in incarcerated hernia patients compared with those without incarceration (all with p=0.001). Conclusions Apparently, incarceration may be a preventable problem. Priority should be given to the treatment of inguinal hernias in infants less than 1 year of age, especially those 1‐3 months old, as their risk of incarceration is higher.