Laparoscope-assisted diagnosis and treatment for Amyand's hernia in children-report of six cases.

Laparoscope-assisted diagnosis and treatment of Amyand's hernia in children are rarely reported in literature. We report our preliminary experiences to emphasize the advantages and feasibility of this procedure in six cases. Laparoscope-assisted diagnosis and treatment of Amyand's hernias in six children from October 2010 to February 2012 were performed. A retrospective analysis of clinical data of these patients was performed. The mean age of the six patients was 234 days (ranging from 40 days to 13 months). Four cases were operated with laparoscope-assisted method urgently as incarcerated hernia. To the two cases with normal appendix, only herniorrhaphy was performed. Average follow-up was 14 months (9-24 months), with no wound infection and no recurrent hernias. In conclusion, diagnosis of Amyand's hernia before operation is difficult, and laparoscopic method is safe and effective in these cases with good outcomes, and worth introduced.