Prevalence of surgical inguino-genital conditions among male kindergartens and primary school children in Mosul city

Context: Inguino-genital surgical disorders are common problems seen in daily surgical practice. The aim of this study is to determine the main surgical inguino-genital disorders among kindergartens and primary school boys less than 10 years of age in Mosul city. Methods: A random sample of kindergartens and primary school boys from both sides of Mosul city underwent a cross-sectional study between 1 of Oct. 2004 and 31 of Jan 2005. All boys were examined by specialized surgeons for the presence of surgical disorders in their inguino-genital region. The pathological findings were recorded and diagnosed disorders were further assessed by suitable investigative tools. The parents were informed about their children's disorders and accordingly, a suitable management for each single disorder was discussed with them. Results: During the study period, 950 children were examined and (125) children were having various inguino-genital disorders. The prevalence of these conditions was (13.2%). The present study showed (7.7%) of the screened children were uncircumcised, (3.2%) were having undescended testes and (1.2%) has inguinal hernia. The surgical conditions were (54.4%) among the age of 6-7 years, (20.0%) among the age of (5-6) years and (1.6%) among the age of (9-10) years. The study revealed that 60% of the undescended testes were on the right side, and (36.7%) on the left side. Moreover (63.67%) of the hernias were right sided and (27.3%) were left sided. Conclusion and recommendations: Studying male children in schools for any surgical abnormalities, at the inguino-genital areas provides the opportunity for detection of the early conditions, further management of the main surgical cases that need correction and the prevention of any risk of complications.