[Inguinal hernia in the infant]

The inguinal hernia repair account among surgical procedures the most frequently performed in children. It represents a flawless example of the paediatric specificity of a common reputed pathology. Its diagnosis especially in the young children can be delicate justifying thus a systematic tracking during the clinic examination. The pathology of the vaginalis processus is varied and the associated anomalies recognition especially the presence of an undescended testis has to be detected. Inguinal incarceration is often inaugural in infants. Consequences concern in the first place the testicular blood supply before to interest the vitality of the incarcerated intestine whose ischemic suffering will be more delayed. Systemic and early herniotomy has become recommended because of improvement of anesthetic and surgical safety in all ages. Risks of abstention today exceed these of a precocious operation with all respects of surgical and anesthetic criteria required according to the age of the child. Despite inguinal hernia repair is one of the operations on basis in general surgery, its realization in children requires to be warned of the specificity of this act. The dissection of the spermatic cord exposes to a traumatic damage of vas deferens which must be avoided by an appropriate technique.