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Inguinal hernia in children is a common anatomical abnormality that concerns the closure of the inguinal ducts. It is found more often in boys and especially in premature babies. A percentage of 10% also shows a hernia on the other side either simultaneously or later. This percentage reaches 50% in premature babies.

It manifests itself as a swelling in the inguinal regions, that is, in the two lateral lower parts of the abdomen during crying, laughing, or other pressure and subsides in conditions of rest. In boys, the swelling may extend to the scrotum and then we speak of an inguinal hernia.

Inguinal hernia is not the result of a relaxation of the abdominal wall as is the case in adults, but of the incomplete closure of the inguinal canal during fetal life. Before the birth of the newborn, when the descent of the gonads is completed naturally, the channels that existed to facilitate this process close completely, so that at birth there is no opening of the abdominal wall in the inguinal region.

In the opposite case, in the canal called the hernial sac, in boys a part of the intestine enters, while in girls it may be the ovary.

The treatment of inguinal hernia is exclusively surgical, because there is a risk of constriction, that is, fixation of the intestine or ovary that has entered through the hernial sac, with the risk that within a few hours due to interruption of arterial circulation, both the intestine and the corresponding testicle will die, the blood supply to which is also strongly affected. If this happens, the lump becomes hard and painful, the baby or child hurts and cries for no apparent reason.

In this case, the child should be seen immediately by a pediatric surgeon, even if the painful lump is noticed for the first time, because if it is a strangulated inguinal hernia, it must be operated on immediately and before permanent changes are created. If it has been determined that the child has a simple hernia, the operation must still be performed in a short period of time, because the problem cannot be corrected without surgery.

Surgical treatment of inguinal hernia involves general anesthesia and can be performed either with open surgery or minimally invasive, such as laparoscopy. The method is minimally invasive and the postoperative and aesthetic result for the patient is excellent. With the laparoscopic technique compared to open surgery, there is a great advantage that the Surgeon can view the other side of the groin with the camera and if the inguinal hernia is bilateral, with no obvious signs at the moment on the other side, to treat both inguinal hernias in the same operation. Also, the postoperative pain is non-existent and the child is home the same afternoon.

Finally, there are rare types of hernia in the area such as femoral hernia or double hernia en pantalon, which with the open technique there is an increased chance of going unnoticed in contrast to laparoscopy.