THE PREPERITONEAL PROSTHETIC MESH REPAIR OF RECURRENT INGUINAL-HERNIA

Recurrent inguinal hernia represents a great problem in surgery given the frequency of this operation, with a recurrence rate of 0.5-8 %. Re -recurrence after repair without implantation of a prosthesis occurs i n 1-23 % of cases. We analyzed our results of patients with recurrent inguinal hernia, operated according to the method of Stoppa. Between 1 989 and July 1994 there were 58 operations upon 55 patients with an av erage age of 65 years, 79 % of whom had unilateral and 21 % bilateral hernias. 89 % of all patients underwent surgery because of a recurrent inguinal hernia. A Marlex mesh was used in 79 % of the cases. All pat ients were followed up (mean 35 months, minimum 12 months). Early comp lications consisted in one hematoma (1.7 %), which had to be drained, as well as one early recurrence (1.7 %). No infections were observed. The overall recurrence rate was 12 %. However, 60 % of all recurrences occurred in the few first years after introduction of this technique at our clinic; with growing number of operations and experience with S toppa's technique, we obtained a recurrence rate of 6-7 % per year. In our opinion, supported by the results of other studies, Stoppa's tech nique is a successful method in the treatment of recurrent inguinal he rnia.