Paediatric external abdominal hernias in Zaria, Nigeria

The author reports a 4-year experience of external abdominal hernias in children in the Paediatric Surgical Unit of the Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria. A general surgeon with wide experience of paediatric surgery and his well tutored assistants performed operations on various abdominal hernias in 311 children aged from 2 weeks to 12 years (mean age: 3.2 years). Fourteen children had a strangulated inguinal hernia and seven others a strangulated umbilical hernia. Two bowel resections were performed on each type. The majority of patients were followed up for periods of from 3 months to 2 years. Eighty patients with uncomplicated inguinal hernia developed mild scrotal oedema. Infection was limited to the operation site in 15 patients, in addition to two scrotal wound infections in two of those who had bowel resection. There were two early recurrent groin hernias, and no deaths. There was no overt testicular ischaemia in patients with strangulated groin hernias. Our results were comparable with those from similar and specialist centres elsewhere.