Preperitoneal approach for incarcerated inguinal hernia in children
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Published on: July 7, 2026
S A Kamaledeen1, L K Shanbhogue
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Al Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Insights
The preperitoneal approach simplifies treating incarcerated inguinal hernias in children, proving safer and easier than traditional methods. This technique is recommended for broader clinical use in pediatric surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Surgical Techniques
- Abdominal Surgery
Background:
- Incarcerated inguinal hernia is a common pediatric surgical emergency.
- Traditional inguinal approaches can be challenging for irreducible hernias.
- The abdominal extraperitoneal approach offers an alternative surgical strategy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the abdominal extraperitoneal approach for pediatric incarcerated inguinal hernias.
- To report on surgical outcomes and complications associated with this technique.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 24 infants and children with incarcerated inguinal hernias treated between March 1994 and July 1996.
- The preperitoneal approach was utilized for hernias that were not reducible with gentle manipulation or spontaneous reduction under general anesthesia.
- Median age of patients was 12 months.
Main Results:
- The preperitoneal approach facilitated herniotomy, content reduction, and bowel resection compared to the inguinal approach.
- No intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported in the study cohort.
- The technique proved effective for managing complex incarcerated inguinal hernias.
Conclusions:
- The abdominal extraperitoneal approach is a safe and effective technique for treating incarcerated inguinal hernias in children.
- This approach simplifies surgical management and reduces the risk of complications.
- Wider adoption of the preperitoneal approach in pediatric surgical practice is recommended.
Background/Purpose:
The authors have been using abdominal extraperitoneal approach for treatment of incarcerated inguinal hernia in children for the last 2 years. The aim of this paper is to report on this experience.
Methods:
Between March 1994 and July 1996, cases of infants and children presenting with incarcerated inguinal hernia were studied. Preperitoneal approach was used in all children who had incarcerated hernia that could not be reduced with gentle manipulation and did not reduce spontaneously under general anesthesia. There were 24 children with a median age of 12 months.
Results:
Herniotomy, reduction of contents, and bowel resection were found to be much easier than the inguinal approach. There were no complications.
Conclusions:
Preperiotoneal approach appears to be a safe and easy technique for incarcerated inguinal hernia in children. The authors recommend that it should be used more commonly.