Hernias of the anterior abdominal wall

The first edition of the clinical guidelines on anterior abdominal wall hernias, developed by specialists from the Russian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, includes information on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. The authors used data of domestic and international clinical trials, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The clinical guidelines underline the role of ultrasound examination of the scrotum organs in diagnosing the inguinal hernia, if findings of clinical examination of a child are doubtful. Criteria and indications for emergency and conservative treatment of a strangulated inguinal hernia are described. In case of oblique hernias, the treatment is directed to disconnecting the communication of the vaginal process of the peritoneum (which is in fact a hernial sac) with the abdominal cavity, so as to prevent protrusion of the abdominal organs through the inguinal canal. The authors underline that despite the fact that the only effective method of treating inguinal hernias is a surgical one, still the choice of a surgical technique depends on the surgical team and resources of their medical setting. In addition to inguinal hernia, the presented clinical guidelines describe basic modalities for diagnosis and treatment of umbilical hernia and hernia of the white line of the abdomen.