Childrens One-Stop Hernia Clinic
The Portland Hospital is the UK’s largest Independent Children’s Hospital, devoted to caring for babies and children up to the age of 16 years.
The Children’s One-Stop Hernia Clinic at The Portland Hospital uniquely offers a same-day consultation and surgical service for inguinal hernia repair in babies and children with a highly qualified Consultant Paediatric Surgeon.
Inguinal hernias are very common in babies and children, occurring in up to 2% of children which means on average every 1 child out of 50 children will suffer from a hernia.
Both boys and girls often present with groin swellings known as inguinal hernias. A hernia is the protrusion of an organ for example the intestine for boys or the ovary for girls. The inguinal hernia appears as a bulge or swelling in the groin.
A hernia is usually initially identified by parents when they notice a swelling or bulge in their child's groin area. The swelling is typically present on coughing or running, and disappears on lying down and relaxing. The diagnosis of hernia is usually based on the parent's history of observing this intermittent swelling.
All inguinal hernias in children are treated by surgery to avoid complications such as pain or strangulation i.e. when the herniated organ loses its blood supply and dies. This can lead to the need for an emergency operation.
The Children’s One-Stop Hernia Clinic allows patients to be examined in the morning with day-case surgery that afternoon (in the absence of any significant medical conditions). The child will generally be discharged to go home that evening. Babies under six weeks of age will need to stay overnight for routine observation. All children will be followed up six weeks post-operatively.
For further information on the Hernia Clinic please view the following documents:
To arrange a consultation appointment for your child - or your patient - for the Children’s One Stop Hernia Clinic please contact The Portland Hospital Enquiry Line on 020 7390 8020.
