[Treatment of inguinal hernia by laparoscopy. Four-year results of the transpreperitoneal approach]

The laparoscopic approach to inguinal hernia repair remains controversial. The authors report the results of 790 repairs performed during the first four years of their experience. The complication rate requiring surgical revision was 1.39%. None of these complications was related to the transpreperitoneal approach and all but one of them occurred during the first two years of the authors' experience. The recurrence rate for patients with a follow-up of more than two years was 5.01%. With experience, the size of the meshes has gradually increased. The authors' experience suggests that all types of hernia can be treated via this approach and that the recurrence rate makes this technique competitive compared to the results of other techniques reported in the literature.