This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Advice to parents

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The parents can be reassured that the majority of hydrocoeles resolve spontaneously within the first year of life (as the processus vaginalis gradually becomes obliterated). Thus in most cases the hydrocoele can be reviewed after the first year of life. If it persists then it can be assumed that the processus vaginalis will not close spontaneously and therefore surgical referral is indicated.

This advice is in contrast to that given if there is a hernia where surgical repair should be undertaken as soon as is convenient.

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page