Study of age-related morphological changes in the vaginal process of the peritoneum in children

Abstract

Statistics state that nosologies resulting from an impaired obliteration of the processus vaginalis of the peritoneum (inguinal hernia, testicular hydrocele, cyst of spermatic cord elements) maintain a high level in the statistics of children's diseases. According to the literature, the above-mentioned diseases and complications in their treatment can cause male infertility which, in turn, will lead to a decrease in the reproductive health of the nation. Purpose - to study changes in morphological structures in the specimen of the vaginal process of the peritoneum based on the age of the child. Materials and methods. Children under the age of 8 years old, of both sexes, with an impaired obliteration of the vaginal process of the peritoneum (inguinal hernias, hydroceles, cysts of the elements of the spermatic cord) were subjected to the study. During the surgical procedure, surgical specimen of the wall of the processus vaginalis of the peritoneum was collected for the purpose of further morphological examination. Results. Muscular, fibrous and fatty elements in different proportions were found in histological specimens. The presence of degenerative pathohistological changes that contribute to the development of hernial defects of the inguinal canal was established. Thus, there is an age-related development of the muscle fibers atrophy of the processes with vacant replacement mainly by adipose tissue. Conclusions. Therefore, by analyzing the histological observations of the vaginal process of the peritoneum in children with an impaired obliteration of the vaginal process of the peritoneum, it is possible to draw a conclusion that the amount of fatty elements in the tissue of the vaginal process directly depends on the age of the child and the muscle elements in the tissue of the vaginal process inversely depend on the age of the child. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.