ABSTRACT
Background: Laparoscopic surgery has evolved in a relatively short time to become a popular and integral part of the surgical armamentarium. An overview of developments which have taken place since its inception is presented. Methods: The PubMed database was searched for all eng language literature. Further references were obtained through cross-referencing the bibliography cited in each work and using books from the authors' collection. Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery has developed rapidly; initially from a basically diagnostic procedure to a therapeutic one which is currently challenging time-honoured traditional methods of surgery. Technological advancements and enthusiasm as well as the desire for scar less surgery appear to be poised to push even further the frontiers of this discipline
Subject(s)
General Surgery , LaparoscopyABSTRACT
Background: Inguinal hernia repair may be the most common procedure in general surgery. Many repairs have been described but none appears completely satisfactory. A brief look at the popular methods of repair from the traditional tissue approximation to the current meshbased techniques is presented. Methods: The PubMed database was searched for all eng language literature. Further references were obtained through cross-referencing the bibliography cited in each work and using books from the authors' collection. Conclusion: The history of inguinal hernia is a rich one; from the traditional tissue approximation techniques to the current mesh-based repairs which are now performed as open or laparoscopic procedures. Recurrent rates have reduced but are still a problem. Perhaps the perfect repair remains elusive because the problem may also be with patients' collagen not just the surgical procedure