Adopt a wait-and-see attitude for patent processus vaginalis in neonates

Is contralateral exploration necessary in preterm infants with unilateral inguinal hernia?

“…Preterm babies have patent processus vaginalis, which may develop into a hernia or spontaneously regress [16]. In spite of this, contralateral exploration is likely to be considered in preterms for which there are no supporting studies [2,[8][9][10][11]17].…”

Understanding the Processus Vaginalis!: The Abdomino Scrotal Hydrocoele

“…Diagnostic laparoscopy is useful in identifying asymptomatic patent processus vaginalis. Treatment consists of surgical excision and ligation, though there are some reports of spontaneous obliteration (Toki et al, 2003). An inguinal approach to ligate the processus vaginalis is the mainstay in treatment (Ho et al, 2010).…”

A tailored approach for the treatment of indirect inguinal hernia in adults—an old problem revisited

“…A reconstruction of the inner ring was successfully performed in patients with "small" indirect hernia, i.e., diameter of the inner ring <30 mm, intact transversalis fascia, young age <30 years. It is estimated that up to 5% of full-term born babies have clinically relevant inguinal hernia, whereby all of them are related to an open processus vaginalis [7][8][9][10][20][21][22]. With increasing age, the incidence of a patent processus vaginalis steadily falls, and approximately 10% to 30% of adults reveal an open processus vaginalis [4,6].…”