Inguinal Hernia
The posterior wall of the inguinal canal situated in the groin region is sometimes weak and there is a natural weakness in the abdominal wall at that site which predisposes to the formation of an inguinal hernia.
An inguinal hernia presents itself as a bulge in the groin region, which initially is small and later on, it increases in size. It is reducible at first and it presents itself on coughing or straining. Later on, the patient may develop pain and the patient may slowly have an irreducible hernia.
It may present in infants due to an anatomical developmental anomaly. In such a case, it is known as a congenital hydrocele. There is a swelling in the scrotum which is apparent when the child is running about but it settles when the child is lying down. This is because the hernia is due to a patent communicating path from the abdominal cavity to the scrotum and fluid from the abdomen settles into the scrotum when the child is in the upright position. When the child is lying down, the fluid returns to the abdominal cavity and the swelling disappears.The treatment is surgery. The procedure is called herniotomy.