title: Treatment strategy of inguinal hernia in infants and children in Eastern Libya.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to evaluate and improve the treatment strategy of inguinal hernia in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was performed on the hospital notes and operation records of 827 (681 boys and 146 girls) children who underwent inguinal herniotomy at Al-Fatah Children Hospital, Benghazi, Libya, between 1998 and 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight hundred and sixty-five inguinal herniotomies were performed on 827 children. In 497 patients, operations were performed on the right side, in 292 on the left side, and in 38 bilateral. Thirty-nine (4.7%) children presented as emergencies with irreducible hernia, of which 29 (74.4%) patients underwent emergency herniotomies while the remaining 10 (25.6%) patients could be treated with conservative measures at the time of admission. Postoperative complication rate for elective was 6.3% and for emergency groups was 24%. The overall postoperative complication rate was 6.6%. There were 5 recurrences giving a recurrence rate of 0.5%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early detection and repair of inguinal hernia in infancy and childhood is essential to decrease the potential operative morbidity rate. This needs an increase in parental awareness. Quick and prompt referral of irreducible hernias for surgery is strongly recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sebha Teaching Hospital, Sebha, Libya.
authors.forename: Amal R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.forename: Abdulgader N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.forename: Massoud H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Geryani
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008002:Libya; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome