Patient's question:
My baby was just born yesterday, and his navel is swollen. The doctor said he has a hernia. The parents are very anxious and don't know what to do in this situation. I would like to ask, what should be done if a newborn baby has a hernia?Doctor's answer:
Upon careful examination, a hernia was found, but the treatment did not yield significant results. Currently, it is recommended that general surgery conduct further careful examination and implement targeted treatment on the area of colic to see if full recovery can be achieved within a year. If not, surgical repair will be necessary for complete recovery. Surgery is typically performed between the ages of 2 and 6.It is common for newborns to have hernias, and there is no need to worry. A hernia is a groin hernia. If it does not recur as an incarceration, treatment is not required for the time being. There is a possibility of self-healing in pediatric groin hernias under the age of 2. You can wait until the child is 2 years old. If no incarceration occurs during this period, no treatment is needed. If the hernia has not healed by the age of 2, surgical treatment should be considered.
In many cases, as children grow older and their abdominal muscles thicken, the hernia ring will naturally close on its own. If it has not improved by the age of 28, surgical treatment will unfortunately be the only option.