Inguinal hernia: relationship to respiratory disease in prematurity

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk of respiratory disease for developing inguinal hernia (IH).

Study design

A retrospective case-control study reviewed medical records of 100 outborn infant males, gestational age (GA) less than 35 weeks, admitted between July 1999 and November 2002 to our level III neonatal intensive care unit. Prospectively selected variables were reviewed from 50 cases of IH and 50 controls.

Results

Premature infants expressing IH were more likely to have had lower GA and birth weight, longer duration of mechanical ventilation, use of high-frequency oscillating ventilator (HFOV), higher peak mean airway pressures during mechanical ventilation, and postnatal dexamethasone exposure. Adjusted results showed dexamethasone, HFOV in infants less than 28 weeks GA, and length of mechanical ventilation remained significant. Multivariate analysis revealed dexamethasone as an independent risk for the expression of IH.

Conclusions

The association of IH expression with mechanical support and dexamethasone administration was substantial. These data provide further caution when using either HFOV or dexamethasone in preterm infants with respiratory insufficiency.