Inguinal hernia and hydrocele in infants and children.

Forty senior pediatric surgeons were surveyed regarding difficult decisions in the management of inguinal hernia. Areas covered were diagnosis, surgical techniques, hydrocele, incarceration, the contralateral side of a clinically apparent inguinal hernia, and inguinal hernia in the premature baby. The lack of agreement on many questions indicates that more than one approach may be effective in managing problems associated with hernia and that rigid policies are unwarranted.