[Abdominal wall hernias (inguinal hernia, incisional hernia)]

Within the range of treatment of inguinal hernias, the paper concentrates on the following procedures: Shouldice, the "tension-free" repairs of Lichtenstein, Rutkow, TIPP, and the laparoscopic procedures TAPP and TEP. An individual, selective approach tailored to the type of hernia, as well as the age and profession of the patient is recommended. A multicenter study comparing these procedures would be useful. Conventional repair of incisional hernias (simple closure, Mayo) has a depressing recurrence rate of 30%-40%. Better results are obtained by using a synthetic prosthesis, which can be implanted using the sublay inlay, or onlay technique.