The role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of stitch granulomas following paediatric herniotomy

Objective. To study the role of US in the diagnosis of stitch granulomas fo llowing paediatric herniotomy. Materials and methods. A retrospective 10-year study of herniotomies perfor med by a paediatric surgical service. Results. Twenty children developed stitch granulomas following herniotomy. In all cases, silk sutures had been used in the repair. Masses appeared 1-1 0 pears following surgery and were demonstrated by preoperative US in 17 pa tients, by CT alone in 1 patient and by both CT and US in 2 patients. Conclusions. US is an accurate and cost-effective method for evaluating sti tch granulomas following herniotomy in children. The procedure is also valu able in marking the position of these foreign bodies prior to removal.