Rare inguinal hernia forms in children.

Rare inguinal hernia forms are encountered more frequently in the laparoscopic technique than in the open approach. The reasons are subject to speculation. The incidence of unusual inguinal hernia forms was studied in a series of inguinal hernias corrected laparoscopically in 452 children (334 boys and 118 girls aged 4 days--14 years, median age 1.6 years). The videos were retrospectively evaluated. Direct hernias were found in 10 children (2.2%), femoral hernias in five (1.1%), hernias en pantalon in three (0.7%), and a combination of indirect and femoral hernia and a combination of indirect, direct, and femoral hernia in one child each (0.2%). Routine videorecording during laparoscopy provides for the first time an objective and absolute picture of the true incidence of these unusual hernia forms.