Pediatric inguinal hernia repair-a critical appraisal.

Inguinal hernia repair in infants and babies is a routine operation, but many issues have not been addressed scientifically. Thus, it is not known, e.g., if all children with a hernia should be operated on, what is the best timing of surgery, or if the operation should be performed with an open approach or laparoscopically. The review is a critical discussion of these and other issues in pediatric herniorrhaphy pointing out the need for further research.