Articles
Vol. 7 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.4081/acbr.2026.643

Patent processus vaginalis in pediatric communicating hydroceles: to ligate or not to ligate

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Published: 15 September 2026
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Communicating hydrocele, non-ligation, ligation, patent processus vaginalis, pediatric

Authors

Emmanuel Nwangwu
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Obinna Anikwe
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Vincent Enemuo
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Sebastian Ekenze
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Uchechukwu Ezomike
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Elochukwu Nwankwo
elochukwu.nwankwop@unn.edu.ng
Department of Pediatric Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.

High ligation of the Patent Processus Vaginalis (PPV) is conventionally performed for communicating hydroceles, as it is believed to decrease the likelihood of recurrence.

The objective of this study was to compare complication rates in children who had excision and ligation of PPV and those who had excision without ligation of PPV during surgery for communicating hydrocele.

The study was a prospective randomized study of children with communicating hydroceles. Participants were randomized into two groups: ligation and non-ligation. Post-operative complications were systematically documented. Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM Corp.; Armonk, USA) version 21. Results were presented as percentages and in tabular form. Student's t-test was applied for comparisons of quantitative variables, while the chi-square test was used for qualitative variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Sixty-eight patients (65 males) with 70 communicating hydroceles (two bilateral hydroceles) aged 1 to 15 years were included. Three patients had scrotal hematoma (4.3%). Of these, 2 (2.9%) occurred in the non-ligation group and 1 (1.4%) in the ligation group (p=0.56). The scrotal hematoma resolved over 14-21 days. The mean duration of surgery for the non-ligation group was 32.8±5.1 minutes; for the ligation group, it was 34.4±9.8 minutes, and they were comparable (p=0.394). There was no recurrence and no development of an inguinal hernia.

There is no significant difference in complication rates between the ligation and non-ligation of a patent processus vaginalis in pediatric communicating hydroceles.

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Patent processus vaginalis in pediatric communicating hydroceles: to ligate or not to ligate. (2026). Annals of Clinical and Biomedical Research, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/acbr.2026.643
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