A 6-week-old female infant has a 4 cm right groin hernia that is reducible. She is otherwise healthy. When should elective inguinal hernia repair be scheduled?

• A At 6 months of age when anesthesia risk decreases
• B At 1 year of age — most hernias resolve spontaneously
• C Only if incarceration occurs — observation is preferred
• D Within 1–2 weeks due to high incarceration risk in infants ✓

Explanation

Pediatric inguinal hernias do NOT close spontaneously (unlike umbilical hernias in infants) and carry a 30% incarceration risk in infancy, especially in premature infants and neonates. Current pediatric surgery guidelines recommend prompt elective repair within 1–2 weeks of diagnosis in infants, particularly those under 6 months, to prevent incarceration and strangulation. Delaying repair increases cumulative incarceration risk. The contralateral side is assessed for a patent processus vaginalis during repair, especially in girls where ovarian herniation can cause strangulation.

Reference: Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.