Umbilical incision for pyloromyotomy.

The umbilical incision is a new approach for the curative procedure of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in order to avoid the cosmetic impairment from the right upper quadrant incision. Our purpose was to evaluate the morbidity of the two approaches. One hundred and eighteen children operated on through an umbilical incision (UMB) from 1992 to 1994 were retrospectively compared with 121 children who underwent standard incision, in the right upper quadrant (RUQ), from 1989 to 1991. The two groups were homogeneous with regard to age, sex ratio, weight, and prematurity rate. Mean operating times were longer in the UMB group (52 [ +/- 14] minutes versus 38 [+/- 14] minutes, p < 0.001, t test). Morbidity was not significantly different with regard to mucosal perforations, vomiting during the first 24 postoperative hours, wound infections, stenosis relapses, and wound dehiscences. Postoperative hospital stays tend to be shorter in the UMB group as compared to the RUQ group. Thus, despite slightly increased mean operating times, the umbilical incision did not modify the morbidity of pyloromyotomy and left an almost undetectable scar.