LaRoque approach to inguinal hernias in pediatric patients.

Abstract

THE EARLY repair of inguinal hernias in pediatric patients has not been universally accepted as the treatment of choice, despite an increasing number of articles in the literature recommending early operation.1It is the purpose of this paper to substantiate the idea of early repair based on our experience with 45 cases in the past three years and particularly to advocate LaRoque's intra-abdominal approach in the repair of these herniae. For practical purposes, all inguinal hernias in patients in this age group are of the indirect type. The pathology of the indirect hernia consists of two deviations from the normal.2First, there is a preformed sac of congenital origin, when the processus vaginalis fails to obliterate, retaining an opening with the peritoneal cavity. These hernias are not due to muscle or fascial weakness of the abdominal wall. In the absence of a persistent processus vaginalis, indirect hernia does