Question :

My 5 years old son has severe constipation, he passes stools once in 4 to 5 days that are extremely hard and sometimes associated with blood. What to do?

 

Answer   :

Constipation is a very common problem in children, most commonly it is functional in nature without any underlying pathology, but sometimes it may be a manifestation of some other disease of intestine (like Hirschsprung’s disease). Functional constipation can be managed with dietary modification, proper toilet training along with laxatives. But, if the child is not improving even after taking these steps, then please visit a paediatric surgeon to rule out other possibilities. 

 

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Question :

My son is 18 months old, the foreskin of his penis is not retractable. He passes urine normally without any problem. What should be done?

 

Answer   :

Boys of age less than 2 to 3 years commonly have physiological phimosis (inability to retract prepuce)which most of the times resolves spontaneously once the age is crossed, so if the child is not having any urinary problems, it can be left as such. But if it persists even after 2 to 3 years of age or is associated with urinary symptoms it’s better to consult a paediatric surgeon.

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Question :

My child is 6 months old, since last one month we have noticed a small swelling in his right groin area which becomes prominent when he cries and disappears when he sleeps. We have been told that it is hernia, is surgery necessary for this ? We are very scared as the child is very small, please help.

 

Answer   :

The symptoms that you have mentioned is clearly suggestive of congenital right inguinal hernia. There is no medical management of hernia and the child needs to be operated after proper workup. Hernia in children are known for getting complicated early (like obstruction or strangulation), so getting scared and not getting the child operated might land the child in a bigger trouble. Moreover, presently both anaesthesia and surgery are very safe so please visit a paediatric surgeon as soon as possible.

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Question :

My son is 3 years old, his testis on left side is normally seen in the scrotum but the testis on right side is absent. We were told that it would come down as the child grows, what should be our next step?

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Answer   :

Your child is clearly having a right sided undescended testis. The appropriate age for surgery in this condition is 6 months to 1 year. If the testis is left in abnormal location for longer than this, it starts getting damaged with future risk of neoplasia. Nevertheless, it’s still not too late, please visit a paediatric surgeon as soon as possible.

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Question :

My child is 6 months old boy. From last 1 month we have noticed appearance of a swelling in the naval region of the child whenever he cries. What should we do?  

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Answer   :

From the symptoms that you have mentioned, it appears that your child is having umbilical hernia. Most of the umbilical hernias resolve spontaneously by 2 years of age, but if it fails to do so, surgery is recommended only after 2 years of age. Please contact a Paediatric Surgeon for proper examination of the child.

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Question :

My son is 1 months old, a reddish swelling is present at the umbilicus of my child since falling of the umbilical cord stump. The area always remains wet due to watery secretion from the swelling. what needs to be done?

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Answer   :

A reddish swelling in the umbilicus along with discharge could just be an Umbilical Granuloma (which occurs due to infection of the umbilical stump) or it could be due to an  underlying communication with the urinary bladder or the intestine. Please contact a Paediatric surgeon for proper workup and diagnosis.

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Question :

My child has a red spot on back which we noticed when he was about 15 days old. What should we do?

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Answer   :

Any red spot appearing after 1 to 2 weeks after birth and gradually increasing in size is usually an infantile hemangioma. They are usually seen in the head and neck area but can affect any part of the body. After appearing they follow a normal course of involution which starts at about 8-12 months of age. There are a variety of treatment options available for this condition. Please visit a Paediatric surgeon for proper examination and treatment.

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Question :

My 3 years old son has a small pin point opening in lower part of his neck on right side, small amounts of water like fluid comes out of it sometimes. We noticed it first when he was 3 months old, he has no pain in the area. What should be done?

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Answer   :

Your child is having a “Branchial Sinus”, it’s a remnant of an embryological structure which was supposed to disappear but somehow persisted in your child. This condition is present since birth but is noticed later when secretions start coming out. This needs surgical correction, please visit a Paediatric surgeon.

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Question :

My son is 4 years old, he passes urine abnormally from the lower surface of penis and not from the tip, what to do?

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Answer   :

The condition from which your child is suffering is called “Hypospadias”. In this condition the urethral meatus is abnormally located in the under surface of penis rather than the tip of the penis. This condition needs to be corrected surgically and the type of surgery depends on the type of hypospadias your child is having. Please visit a Paediatric surgeon.