Analysis of inguinal hernia in children: Experience of a single institution with 1185 cases

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to give an overview of inguinal hernia in children, recognize the experiences of our clinic and compare them with the literature. Methods: : A total of 1185 patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair between August 2016 and February 2022 were included in this study. Patients' age, gender, inguinal hernia type, hernia side, incarceration, contralateral hernia formation, recurrence and other related complications were evaluated. Results: : Of the patients, 71% were male, and 29% were female (2.44:1). Patients’ ages ranged from five days to 17 years (mean 51 ± 42 months). Hernia was on the right side in 58.6% patients, on the left side in 30.3% patients, and bilateral in 11.1% patients. Contralateral hernia developed in 2.6% of the patients and there was no difference between gender regarding incidence (p>0.05). Postoperative complications developed in 5.2% of the patients. All eight patients who developed hernia recurrence were male. The proportion of patients who were operated on for incarcerated hernia was 1.7%. Conclusion: There was no difference between the genders regarding the percentage of sides (p>0.05). The rate of recurrent hernia was higher under the age of one. We found that the rate of incarceration increased with low gestational age. We conclude that routine contralateral inguinal exploration is not indicated. The complication rate is higher in patients with multiple comorbidities in hernia patients.