Developments in hernia repair

Traditionally, inguinal hernia repair uses autogenous tissues (Shouldice, Bassini, Cooper's). While dedicated hernia clinics have shown low recurrence rates using autogenous tissues, most studies show recurrence rates in the 5% to 15% range. In addition, these tension producing repairs may lead to a longer recovery due to increased discomfort. For these reasons, the recent trend in inguinal hernia surgery has been towards using a mesh-based tensionless repair. There are three main tension-free approaches using mesh that are presently receiving the majority of attention: