Laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy.

Traditional open hernia repairs are usually performed as outpatient procedures under local anesthesia, with minimal morbidity and low recurrence rates. To be widely accepted, any new procedure must at least match current standards of performance. This review summarizes the most widely used techniques for laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy. Early results of over 1700 cases using these techniques are reported. Recurrence was lowest using the total extraperitoneal repair. In selected patients, laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy is a safe and comparable alternative to standard open repairs.