A paediatric inguinal hernia usually presents as a lump protruding from the groin or scrotum that appears or increases in size when the child cries, coughs, stands or other situations of increased abdominal pressure, and gradually shrinks or disappears when quiet, asleep or lying flat, and can recur.
When the child has mild symptoms, the lump may be absent or may be present but disappear, and the contents of the hernia may be returned to the abdominal cavity by gentle pressure from below.
However, in severe cases, the hernia may become lodged and the mass may not disappear, i.e. the intestinal tube and other tissues inside the hernia mass become stuck in the opening of the hernia sac and cannot be returned to the abdominal cavity, the mass is then relatively hard and the child often has abdominal pain, crying and vomiting and needs immediate medical attention.