• L W Desch and M H DeJonge.
• Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, USA.
• Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1996 May 1;35(5):251-5.

AbstractA retrospective study was done to determine whether improved weight gain follows inguinal hernia repair in the premature infant and whether the presence of an inguinal hernia is associated with comparatively poorer weight gain prior to repair. Demographic and growth data from 28 premature infants who had undergone hernia repair were compared with corresponding data from 25 matched "control" premature patients. The two groups' weight for age Z scores for both time periods (i.e., before and after hernia repair) were then determined and analyzed. The differences found in Z scores between these two groups indicated that premature infants who have inguinal hernias seem to grow better after the hernia repair as compared with before the surgery. Despite issues related to group matching, the results of this study indicate that weight gain may be an additional factor to consider in determining the appropriate time to do surgical correction of a premature infant's inguinal hernia.

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