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What is the ideal timing of umbilical hernia repair in children?
Part of
Umbilical Hernia 9 items
Chapter 1 of 1 · Evidence & Research
Repair timing
Timing of umbilical hernia repair in children
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Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
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What the experts said
Umbilical hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed in children.
Umbilical hernias have a high chance of spontaneous resolution.
There are almost zero complications while waiting for spontaneous resolution of umbilical hernias.
Many children are having umbilical hernia repair at an early age.
A multi-state retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2019 found that umbilical hernia repair before the age of four has double the recurrence rate compared to repair at age four or later.
A multi-state retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2019 found that umbilical hernia repair before the age of four has double the readmission rate compared to repair at age four or later.
Surgeons should probably wait until at least the age of four to operate on umbilical hernias if not already doing so.