Newborns are a bundle of joy but discovering in the early days that they need surgery can be highly worrisome for the parents. However, with the advancement of medical science, early detection of birth-related faults can be treated well with high success rates.
Newborn surgery in Siliguri is most recommended because of the best medical facilities and highly trained doctors available in the city. Below is a brief about the five most common conditions that require newborn surgery and how they are treated.
Hernia Rectification
Hernia occurs when doctors observe a hole or weakness in the muscles that surround an organ in the newborn baby. Such openings are common in the abdomen region, where intestines or other organs protrude from the hole. The risk involves the organs slipping from the hole and detaching themselves from the blood supply.
Usually, such openings close before or right after birth, some of them do not close naturally even after birth. Inguinal hernia is the most common type of hernia in newborn babies and infants. 1 out of 6 premature babies are prone to inguinal hernia.
Undescended Testes
In male babies, if one or both testes do not drop into the scrotum by 30 months of age, then surgery is needed to rectify the condition. Doctors usually recommend performing this surgery between 5 to 15 months of birth. Only 1% of male babies are born with undescended testes.
Hydrocele Surgery
In male babies under 2 a condition commonly observed is the accumulation of fluid around the testicles. Hydroceles form when the canals connecting the testicles fail to completely close during the development of the fetus. Most conditions resolve on their own, but sometimes they may need a medical intervention through surgery.
Tongue-Tie Correction
About 4% of babies are born with tongue-tie defects where the skin connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth is too short or very close to the tip of the tongue. This hinders the proper movement of the tongue and speech in later years. It may also affect breastfeeding in babies thus reflecting in their growth and development. A small surgery is performed to correct the defect and resolve the issue.
Circumcision
One of the most common cases of newborn surgery in Siliguri includes circumcision or removing the foreskin covering the penis in male babies. Most circumcisions are performed by doctors within 10 days of a baby’s life unless postponed for religious or cultural purposes. It takes about 7 to 10 days for the penis to completely heal after a circumcision surgery. Circumcision reduces the chances of Urinary Tract Infections in infants.
All the above surgeries on newborn babies are performed by doctors after discussing the case with their parents and informing them about the risks and complications that may arise post-surgery. However, the above surgeries are mostly targeted to improve birth defects and carry very low risk.
