The Lichtenstein repair

The Lichtenstein tension-free mesh repair has opened a new era in groin hernia repair. Without the risk of serious morbidity it can be readily carried out on patients previously considered unsuitable for hernia repair. Fears of complications related to mesh implantation have proved to be without foundation. A brief history of prosthetic mesh repair and the evolution of the Lichtenstein technique are reviewed. The operative technique as used at the British Hernia Centre is outlined, and the results of using this repair for all primary inguinal hernias in a specialized ambulatory day care setting are presented. The authors review the current literature on open mesh repair of inguinal hernia and compare it with results obtained with laparoscopic repairs. As a local anesthetic day-case procedure without the need for complex and expensive instrumentation the Lichtenstein repair has demonstrated how overall costs can be kept to a minimum without in any way compromising safety or the long term success of the procedure.