Need advise from experts

[BARAKATH]

Dear Sir,

My son having Bi-lateral hydrocele,his age is 2 years and 7 months and his weight is 19.5 Kgs. One doctor is saying to repair this by Laproscopic method by injection they will remove the fluids and another doctor is by Incision (Cut on both sides), so please adivse us in detail which way of operation is safe and better one.

Just one month before only we did the circumcision for him and that time doctors gave him general anesthesia for carry out circumcision. How many days gap requires for giving another anesthesia for child? If you help us in this issue we will be great thankful to you doctor.

Thanks in advance

A.BARAKATH

[shopmom]

My son will be having a second hydrocele surgery at the end of Dec. How likely is it, that he can get fluid in the scrotum again?
Thanks

[Dr Smitha Mathews]

Hi,

There is no restriction to travelling by flight or in a motor vehicle after the surgery. Do ensure that he is wearing supportive underwear and is lying down or in a semi-reclining posture.

Also ensure that he has access to adequate painkillers and an ice-pack, in the event of any swelling in the scrotum. Swelling in the scrotum is normal after hydrocelectomy and settles down over a few weeks.

If he is having general anesthesia for the surgery it would also be better to supervise his diet to ensure that he does not consume anything that he can choke on. The level of alertness and reflexes will be a little dulled in the hours following anesthesia and children are more prone to vomiting as they are recovering from the effects of anesthesia. Cool fluids, ice cream and soups are safe in the first 24 hours after general anesthesia. Normal diet can gradually be started after the first 24 hours.

regards,

[BARAKATH]

Thanks Doctor. Is he can travel by flight after hydrocele operation or is there any restriction in this regard. Please advise.

A.BARAKATH

[Dr Smitha Mathews]

Hi,

Bilateral hydrocele in a toddler can be a congenital disorder arising from inadequate closure or non-closure of structures in the scrotum.

If the hydrocele is not very large or is not affecting the blood supply to the testes, it is safe to wait for 1-2 years to check whether the hydrocele will resolve by itself. This is in view of the complications that such a surgery can cause and also because most hydroceles in children tend to heal without intervention.

Regarding the procedure of the surgery, the second doctor was right about the incision, as simply draining the fluid can cause it come back and also, in the surgery with the incision, the canal causing the fluid to collect in the scrotum will also be cut and tied up.

The requirement and safety of anesthesia will be determined by an anesthesiologist who will assess the competency of the child to be subjected to anesthesia. However, it would be better to provide as much of a gap as is possible to avoid excessive burden to vital organs such as the liver and the kidney.

Do keep us posted on nay further doubts you have in this regard.