Groin and scrotal swellings in children aged 5 years and below: a review of 535 cases.

There is limited literature dedicated to the surgical problems of infants and childhood, especially diseases of the groin and scrotum, in the setting of sub-Saharan Africa. We do not know the morbidity and mortality rates associated with surgical conditions of the groin and scrotum in children of our sub-region. This study was carried out among children aged 5 years and below in a regional referral hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, to determine the surgical conditions of the groin and scrotum treated at elective surgery. Inguinal hernias constituted 74% of the children with groin and scrotal diseases; this was followed by hydroceles - 14.2%; then undescended testis - 10.5%; and inguinal lymphadenopathy - 0.7%. The rest were testicular abscess, seminoma and cystic lymphangioma, representing 0.2% each of groin and scrotal conditions treated in this hospital among this age group. The last three are rare conditions of the groin and scrotum as shown by our data. The recurrence rate after herniotomy was 0.7%. Orchidopexy was successfully performed in 89% of children with undescended testes; in 7.1% of cases, orchidectomy was carried out for rudimentary and small, dysplastic testes. Over 98% of the children with groin and scrotal surgical problems were treated on day-care basis. There were no recorded deaths in the series.