Inguinal Hernias are mainly categoried Symptomatic, Asymptomatic. Medically classified as reducible ,irreducible; incarcerated/impacted ,strangulated or gangrenous.
The symptomatics are with pain with deferrent range of levels, persisting in the same place at same size or increasing, infected, incarcerated/impacted, strangulated or gangrenous.
The asymtomatics are without any symptom/sign as stated above, lying quiet there, just present there, or goes in and out of the inguinal ring( reducible).
The "asymptomatics" can be totally asymptomatic, or minimally asymptomatic- meaning, not giving much problems, and patient can go on with a normal life style and tolerate on patient's perspectives; and the doctor can aslo wait with a "WATCHFUL EXPECTANCY', MEANING, HE CAN WAIT TILL ANY INTERVENTION CLINICALLY NEEDED.
The "symptomatics" need/can not wait on patient's and Physician's perspectives(clinical scenerio) and needs some/most of the time intervention,even, sometimes, goes for acute life/organ rescuing emergency situations like strangulation/gangrene.
But having said that, it does not mean we don,t have to interfere with the asymptomatic scenerio- it is all about councelling,making them compliant, fit for the surgery because e at one /or some point in thier life, they need to go for surgery.- this can be at thier request or option of time and convenenience or onset of symptoms and so on. However it is not a bad idea to have it done when they can(giving merit for the benifit of the patients welbeing.)