LAPAROSCOPIC INGUINAL-HERNIA REPAIR - 4-YEAR RESULTS OF THE TRANSPREPERITONEAL APPROACH

The laparoscopic approach to inguinal hernia repair remains controvers ial. The authors report the results of 790 repairs performed during th e first four years of their experience. The complication rate requirin g surgical revision was 1.39 %. None of these complications was relate d 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%. W ith experience, the size of the meshes has gradually increased. The au thors' experience suggests that all types of hernia can be treated via this approach and that the recurrence rate makes this technique compe titive compared to the results of other techniques reported in the lit erature.