A SURVEY OF NONEXPERT SURGEONS USING THE OPEN TENSION-FREE MESH PATCHREPAIR FOR PRIMARY INGUINAL-HERNIAS

The aim of this study was to learn if general surgeons with no special interest in hernia repairs, using the open tension free repair, could achieve a degree of success comparable to that of the experts. Materi als and Methods. A survey was undertaken of 72 surgeons who were known to be performing an open tension-free onlay mesh patch repair for pri mary inguinal hernias with no attempt to suture together the edges of the hernia defect. White several European surgeons were included, most were from the United States. Results. There was a minimal amount of w ound infection, an absence of mesh rejection when Marlex mesh was used , and a recurrence rate under 0.5% in 16,068 operations. Conclusions. The experience of the non-experts demonstrated that excellent results were attained by surgeons who had no special interest in hernia surger y and testifies to the simplicity and reliability of the method.