Overview of Modern Surgical Techniques in Inguinal Hernia Repair

Abstract

The era of effective hernia repair surgery dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. The model that Bassini created for dissecting and then rebuilding the inguinal canal became the foundation of technique to achieve better results. Other surgeons that attempted to bypass some of the basic steps of his operation were not able to equal his results. It was Shouldice in the early 1940s who used the basic steps of Bassini’s operation that rekindled better outcomes for hernia surgery. Other surgeons described different techniques of canal reconstruction, but none proved as effective as Bassini–Shouldice.

Many different synthetic barriers were introduced into the hernia market most of which were abandoned. It wasn’t until Usher introduced polypropylene mesh that an acceptable product was found. Mesh gained favor as a method to do a repair without tension on tissues. Barriers of synthetic mesh and biologic materials have gained acceptance and popularity in open and laparoscopic repairs.