What are the most common interventions in children? What is an infantile hernia? When is the right time to remove it? What about undescended testicles? Is there a difference in age when they have to go back to where they belong? This morning on these, but also on many other questions in the show Free Press we asked assistant professor doctor Risto Simeonov from the private hospital "Ajibadem Sistina" for an answer.

Simeonov says that the most common surgical interventions in childhood are inguinal hernia or hernia, undescended testicles or cryptorchidism and acute inflammation of the appendix. Hernia is a congenital condition, it is very important for parents to know that a hernia or hernia in their child is a congenital condition.

– The hernia in children does not appear for some reason, coughing, vomiting. A pimple appears because of it. A hernia is a congenital condition. Undescended testicles are the absence of a testicle in the scrotal sac in male children. And the third most common intervention is inflammation of the appendix - says Simeonov.

He explains that hernias are statistically more common in male children and premature children. It is most important for parents to assess that it is an inguinal hernia in their child and it is even more important to assess whether the hernia has become pinched.

- In principle, the hernia is always noticed by the parent. It is a swelling on the left or right side or on both sides in the region of the inguinal canal. That pod can be as large as a hazelnut, to the size of a smaller tangerine or an egg. It means that the child has a hernia. If the hernia, i.e. the small intestine, retracts spontaneously or when gently touched by the parent, it means that it is not pinched. If the child suddenly starts crying, raises its legs towards the stomach, vomits, then the hernia is pinched and the child must be immediately taken to a pediatric surgeon - says the doctor.

He explains that it is best to operate on a hernia between the third and sixth month, because if it gets pinched it is life-threatening. He says that undescended testicles are a common intervention in young children.

- At birth, the child should have both testicles lowered into the scrotal sac. There is the condition of mobile testicles, where the testicles simply migrate, moving up and down in the scrotum. Cryptorchidism means that the testicle is not in the scrotal sac, in the foreskin under the penis, but somewhere in the inguinal canal - says Simeonov.

He explains that the testicle must first be found and returned to the scrotal sac. If there is no testicle, exploration of the inguinal canal is done to assess whether there is any residual testicular tissue and if it is of poor quality, it should be removed.

- If this is not done, the testicles in puberty can alternate malignantly, it is very rare, but cancer at the age of 20 in male children can be the cause due to an undescended testicle - says the doctor. He explains that the most ideal age for surgery is between the sixth month and the first year, at the latest by the second year.

And the last, most common intervention that is performed in children, is inflammation of the appendix.

– The appendix has a characteristic clinical picture. It starts with a diffuse pain in the abdomen and after a few hours, that pain is localized on the right side of the navel. There is an elevated temperature, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, malaise. So the clinical picture has its own course. If he has these conditions, these signs, the parent should take the child to either a pediatrician or a pediatric surgeon - says Simeonov.

He explains that the operation is usually laparoscopic, and the child usually goes home 2 to 3 days after the operation. It recommends to parents that any pain is not alarming to take the child to the doctor. But if the pain has other symptoms such as nasal discharge, cough, elevated temperature, of course you should visit the family doctor, so he determines what to do next.