Contralateral inguinal hernial development and ipsilateral recurrence following unilateral hernial repair in infants and children.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of contralateral hernial development and ipsilateral recurrence following surgery for unilateral inguinal hernia in infants and children. During the period 1961-1970, 161 infants and children (143 males and 18 females; 0-12 years old) underwent surgery for unilateral inguinal hernia. The patients were followed for 20-29 years (until 1990). 16/143 males (11.2%), and 1/18 females developed a contralateral inguinal hernia; the frequency among patients less than seven years old was significantly higher than the frequency among older children (16/118 > 1/43; p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between patients primarily operated for rightsided and leftsided hernias. Four/143 boys (2.7%) experienced testicular maldescens. Recurrence after herniotomy was seen in 9/143 males (6.3%), and in 1/18 females. The low frequency of contralateral hernial development, as the risk of surgical complications, indicate that routine contralateral inguinal exploration may not be recommended while operating upon unilateral symptomatic inguinal hernias. Our recurrence rate of 6.2% may mirror the conditions in a general surgical department, where several surgeons and residents operate upon a limited number of paediatric patients.