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Abstract

Introduction: Umbilical hernia is a very common pathology in African pediatric practice. Few studies have beencarried out in Sub-Saharan African children on morphology and more particularities on umbilical hernia defects inblack children. We aim to study the anatomical particularities of umbilical hernia in Senegalese children.

Methods: We conducted a six-month prospective, descriptive, and analytical study (march 2023 to august2023), in the pediatric surgical units of Pikine National Hospital Center and Ziguinchor Regional Hospital.

Results: This study collected 63 cases of umbilical hernia out of 125 children seen, corresponding toa frequency of 50.4% The mean age was 7.3 months. Infants less than 6 months were the most represented(63.5%). The sex ratio was 1.2. The mean defect diameter measured during physical examination was 12.3 mm.For ultrasound measurements, the mean horizontal diameter was 13.5 mm and the mean vertical diameter was 13mm. Clinically, the mean horizontal diameter of the umbilical swelling was 24.5 mm and the mean vertical diameterwas 20 mm. Fifty-three patients had Redundant Umbilical Skin (RUS) (84.1%). Bivariate analysis did not reveal anysignificant correlation between the size of the defect and age group (p > 0.05). Comparison between the clinical andultrasonographic measurements of the umbilical defect diameter showed a statistically significant difference (p <0.05).

Conclusion: Umbilical hernia affects nearly half of Senegalese children. We observed a predominance ofhernias with medium to large defects, which are less likely to close spontaneously. Forms with redundant umbilicalskin may reflect a distinctive morphological trait in Sub-Saharan African children.