Contralateral incidence after repair of unilateral inguinal hernia in infants and children

The parents of 206 patients with unilateral inguinal hernia who underwent hernia repair at Kobe Children's Hospital in 1985 were interviewed by telephone to determine the incidence of contralateral occurence. There were 129 males and 77 females. The side of the initial hernia was the right in 120 patients and the left in 86. The age at presentation of the initial hernia ranged from 11 days to 13 years. There were 12 contralateral occurences (5.8%) These were seen in 8 males (6.6%) and 4 females (4.6%), in 6 after repair on the right side (5.0%) and 6 after repair on the left (6.9%). There was no preponderance of contralateral incidence in relation to age, sex, or original side in our series. Contralateral exploration is recommended only under circumstances in which abdominal pressure is increased by such conditions as ascites or a ventriculoperitoneal shunt.Correspondence to: T. Muraji