Low prevalence of complications of delayed herniotomy in the extremely premature infant.

AIM: To study the relationship between the delay of herniotomy in the extremely premature infant and the rate of complications in comparison with full-term children. METHODS: A follow-up study of three groups of neonates operated on for inguinal hernia was performed. The groups were defined as: a) the short-waiting group (SWG): prematures (mean gestational age: 32.56 +/- 0.62; n = 9) operated on within 2 wk of diagnosis (median: 5 d); b) the long-waiting group (LWG): prematures (mean gestational age: 28.38 +/- 1; n = 21) operated on after more than 2 wk (median: 39 d); and c) control group of full-term children (FTG); (mean gestational age: 38.18 +/- 0.29; median of timing: 3 d; n = 11). Several variables (gestational age, weight at birth and at surgery, side of the inguinal herrnia, timing, duration of surgery, type of anaesthesia, length of hospitalization), as well as the occurrence of apnoea, incarceration and testicular atrophy were compared between groups. RESULTS: Timing was the only variable that was different between the LWG and the other two groups (p < 0.001, ANOVA). Seven preoperative episodes of incarceration occurred: one in the SWG, two in the LWG and four in the FTG (p = 0.138, chi2). In the follow-up study two testicular atrophies, related to previous episodes of incarceration, were found: one in the FTG and the other in the SWG (p = 0.221, chi2). CONCLUSION: The deferral of herniotomy in the extremely premature infant, until the child is ready to be discharged from the neonatal unit, does not seem to increase the risk of incarceration episodes or testicular atrophy.