WOFAPS 2025 8th World Congress of Pediatric Surgery

Lissoune Cissé ¹, Koffi Jean Pierre Cleve Aglamey ², Youssouph Diedhiou ², Papa Alassane Mbaye ², Ibrahima Bocar Wellé ², Doudou Gueye ², Ndèye Aby Ndoye ², Gabriel Ngom ²

¹ National Hospital Center of Pikine
² Cheikh Anta Diop University, Albert Royer National Children's Hospital Center, Department of Pediatric Surgery

Introduction: Umbilical hernias affect approximately 10–30% of children [1]. They are generally considered benign, with spontaneous closure expected, and surgical repair typically postponed until after the age of 4–5 years [2,3]. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, they appear to be more frequent and may present with different clinical characteristics [4]. This study describes the clinical and therapeutic features of umbilical hernias in newborns and infants in our department.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted from January 2023 to March 2024 at the Albert Royer Children’s Hospital in Dakar. Epidemiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic parameters were analyzed.

Results: A total of 570 infants presented with umbilical hernia, representing 63.2% of all hernia consultations. The mean age was 9.6 months. The average fascial defect diameter was 2.9 cm. Hernias were symptomatic in 11.75% of cases. Surgery was performed in 130 children (22.8%), including 51 with an associated surgical condition. All procedures were performed on an outpatient basis, with simple postoperative outcomes in 98.5% of cases.

Conclusion: Our study highlights a higher frequency of umbilical hernia repairs in young infants in sub-Saharan Africa, with larger defect sizes, symptomatic presentations in one out of ten children, and frequent associated anomalies. These differences from Western series raise important questions about the applicability of international guidelines, emphasizing the need to adapt protocols to local realities in low-resource settings.