Time of Surgery (Inguinal/Umbilical Hernia)

Synopsis of the optimal time of surgery in inguinal and umbilical hernia and testicular hydrocele. It is a proposal which corresponds to the experiencies of the daily clinical work from the view of a pediatric surgeon. Except for the urgent complicated inguinal hernia, surgery should be performed electively, but the younger the child, the earlier. The same applies if a precise diagnosis is not possible. A careful application of these recommendations will also consider other factors, such as additional pathologies, reliability of the parents, distance from the hospital, and other factors.