Paediatric inguinal hernias are caused by the persistence of the peritoneal lining as it descends down the inguinal canal, leaving a patent processes vaginalis (PPV), which usually closes by 12 months of age. If the PPV is wide enough, it may allow intra-abdominal contents such as bowel, omentum or ovary, to descend into the inguinal canal or below, resulting in a hernia.
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