The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of a laparoscopi
c transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach to inguinal hernia repa
ir which dissected the entire inguinal floor and repaired the indirect
, direct, and femoral areas in all patients without tension. In our se
ries, 183 patients had 205 hernia repairs and were followed for more t
han 6 months. Of this group, 128 hernias were indirect, 55 direct, 22
pantaloon, 26 recurrent, and 22 bilateral. All 12 females and the firs
t 11 males had a single-buttress repair with polypropylene mesh. The o
ther 160 male patients had a double-buttress repair. With median follo
w-up of 12 months, ranging from 6 to 21 months, no recurrences were fo
und. Patients returned to normal activity in an average of 1 week. Dis
section and buttressing of the entire inguinal floor with mesh appeare
d to solve the problem of early recurrence first seen in laparoscopic
herniorrhaphy.