[Technique of total extraperitoneal endoscopic hernioplasty of the inguinal canal]

The current end stage in the development of endoscopic treatment of inguinal hernia involves the introduction of a patch into the extraperitoneal space. This may be done via a transabdominal approach (TAPP) or via a total extraperitoneal approach (TEP). The present article describes the TEP technique in detail. In addition to dealing with the ideal case, the authors also discuss the procedure in relation to all know forms of hernia. Furthermore, they provide the reader with suggestions on how to deal with intraoperative technical problems and how to avoid recurrences.