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Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Spanish version
Umbilical Hernia
DESCRIPTION
An umbilical hernia is a navel that bulges with crying or
straining. The bulge may disappear when your baby is quiet.
If you feel the area with your finger, you will find a small
round opening in the muscles of the abdominal wall. The
hernia passes through this ring.
Umbilical hernias are very common. Crying does not make
them any bigger or last any longer. They are not painful
and they never break. The opening in the muscles usually
closes spontaneously by school age. Half of the persistent
ones close by adolescence.
TREATMENT
No treatment is needed unless the hernia persists beyond the
age of 5 or 6 years. At that age, outpatient surgery can be
performed to close the defect if your child is concerned
about how it looks or if the muscle defect is more than
2 centimeters (about 1 inch) across.
Taping a hernia closed does not speed healing and can lead
to a skin rash or infection. The only complication (which
occurs in far less than 1 percent of cases) is getting a
loop of intestine stuck in the opening. If you think this
has happened (if, for instance, the hernia becomes hard and
tender and won't go back in), call your physician
immediately.
Your physician will check the hernia on regular office
visits.
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