Three hundred consecutive children less than 18 years of age were treated for inguinal hernia by the same surgeon from 1970 to 1985. The surgical procedure was the same in all cases, namely ligation of the tunica vaginalis and extirpation of the hernial sac. Hernioplasty was not performed. Twenty patients were excluded. Seven patients had a recurrent hernia, i.e. a cumulative recurrence rate of 2.4 per cent after a median follow up of 12 years (range 5-19). Five of seven (71%) recurred within five years after operation, while only two recurred from the fifth to the 15th year. We conclude that recurrence five years after operation is seldom and the recurrence rate in our work is acceptable compared with other publications.