Inguinal Hernias in Children

Hernia management in children dates from Antiquity. Described as a swelling on the surface of the belly in ancient papyri, it was treated with tight bandages by the early physicians of Alexandria. The underlying abnormality [patent processus vaginalis (PPV)] leading to the development of congenital (indirect) inguinal hernia or hydrocele was described by Galen in 176 A.D. as a “small offshoot of the great peritoneal sac in the lower abdomen” [1].