Lichtenstein's Tension Free Herniorrhaphy in Adult Inguinal Hernia

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Since the herniorrhaphy was performed by Bassini, that method has been the standard for herniorrhaphy for over a hundred year, although it has been modified by other surgeons. During recent decades, biomaterials were introduced to the medical field, and polypropylene mesh was applied to reconstruct the defective abdominal wall of an inguinal hernia in an adult. The Lichtenstein Hernia Institute is regarded as the leading group for the tension-free herniorrhaphy using Marlex mesh under local anesthesia. METHODS: We designed this study prospectively to investigate the characteristics of groin hernias and the results, including complications and recurrence after surgery. The primary method of surgery was a Lichtenstein's tension-free herniorrhaphy using Prolene mesh. We performed 196 hernioplasties in 180 patients having a groin hernia, which included 16 bilateral hernias. RESULTS: 139 indirect hernias, 51 direct hernias, and 3 femoral hernias were included; there were 15 recurrent hernias. A Lichtenstein's tension-free herniorrhaphy was performed in 84.2% of the cases, a preperitoneal mesh graft in 10.2%, and a Bassini's method in 4.6%. There were four recurrences; three were through the femoral canal after the repair of a direct hernia in a female, and one was a recurrent direct hernia in a male patient. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of a mesh prosthesis, a tension-free herniorrhaphy is possible with neither distortion of the normal anatomy nor suture-line tension. However, it should be carefully applied to a direct hernia only after thorough exploration of the groin through the retroinguinal space of Bogros to rule out coexisting intraparietal or femoral hernias. It is necessary to provide enough laxity for the mesh because prolene mesh can shrink up to 20%, and recurrence might be caused by the tension in the applied mesh.