Day case groin surgeries in children in Ibadan, Nigeria: spectrum of cases, trends over time and role of residents.

Abstract

Background: Childhood groin lesions arc mostly treatable in ambulatory settings. However, in view of inadequate pediatric surgical manpower in developing countries, there is a long waiting time to surgery that may result in untoward sequelae. The aim of this study was to review the spectrum of groin surgeries in a major teaching hospital in Nigeria, evaluate the timing of surgery and assess the cadre of surgeon operators. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted by retrospectively reviewing the surgical records of patients who had elective groin surgeries in a single unit between January 2003 and December 2014. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 833 patients aged 2 weeks to 15 years (782 males) had 960 elective day case groin surgeries during the period. The groin lesions were inguinal hernia in 427 (51.3%). congenital hydrocele in 250 (30.0%) and undescended testis in 156 (18.7%) patients. May (101, 12.1%) and September (96, 11.5%) recorded the highest monthly averages of groin surgeries. The residents performed 55.8% of orchidopcxics and 68.5% of herniotomies (p = 0.002). The proportion of surgeries performed by residents increased during the study (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The commonest groin lesion requiring day case surgery in children is inguinal hernia. The highest proportions of groin surgeries arc done in May and September at the beginning of school terms. The residents performed 56% of orchidopcxics and 69% of herniot