Recurrence after groin hernia repair-revisited

One of the commonly performed operations all over the world is hernia repair. Various open and laparoscopic procedures are available now for hernia repair. They are judged mainly by the recurrence rate following operation. The recognition of the causes of recurrence makes their prevention/elimination possible. Articles on hernia recurrence published in various journals over the past 40 years have been analysed. This review article mainly focuses on the causes of recurrence of hernia and their prevention. The causes of recurrence following open and laparoscopic hernia repair have been analysed. In open repair, early recurrences are due to faults in operative technique and postoperative infection. Late recurrences are due to patient factors like collagen defects, age and medical morbidities. In laparoscopic repair, technical aspects of surgery like dissection, mesh placement and fixation are the important factors which decide hernia recurrence.