Inguinal hernias: a preliminary study on a technique of repair based on the keel principle

Most adult hernias have a defect in the posterior wall of the inguinal canal even though the initial defect, in an indirect hernia, is the presence of a sac at the internal ring. It is imperative to strengthen the posterior wall without disturbing the normal shutter mechanism of the inguinal canal. A technique is described which achieves this by applying the keel principle to the repair. Data regarding 215 such repairs done during the last five years is presented. The follow-up available however does not satisfy the standard critical criteria and as such this is presented only as a preliminary report and a rational idea.