A novel technique of a laparoscopic percutaneous guide wire for extraperitoneal internal ring closure in the management of a pediatric communicating hydrocele

Objective To investigate the novel technique of a laparoscopic percutaneous guide wire for extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) of a patent processus vaginalis (PPV) of hydrocele in the pediatric age population. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on consecutive patients with a pediatric hydrocele between January 2018 and October 2019 to examine our novel laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure technique using a guide wire. Data on occult contralateral hydrocele occurrence, operative time, and postoperative complications were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 387 patients were included in this study, and their ages ranged from 2.33 to 9.50 years. A total of 65.6% of patients had a unilateral hydrocele and 34.4% had a bilateral hydrocele. The rate of occult contralateral hydrocele was 30.6%. The median operative time for the unilateral hydrocele was 18.6 min and for the bilateral one, it was 27.3 min. The median follow-up period was 24 months, and no complications were reported, except for early postoperative pain in the umbilical port site ( n  = 5) and scrotal edema ( n  = 2). Conclusions LPEC using a guide wire was found to be safe and efficacious with less hospital costs for the management of hydrocele in children.