The history of inguinal hernia surgery

Abstract

The article reviews the history of inguinal hernia surgery. At various times, different procedures and diverse materials were used for hernia repair. However, the effectiveness and safety of inguinal hernia repair emerged only after the anatomic features of the inguinal region had been elucidated in a monograph by Henri Fruchaud „Anatomie des hernies de l’aine” published in 1956. The Italian surgeon Edoardo Bassini began a new era in herniology. For a longtime, his classic procedure with its modifications was the most popular in surgical practice. In 1959, Lloyd M. Nyhus proposed inguinal hernia repair according to the concept of the pre-abdominal (posterior) approach that later became the basis for developing the transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP). In 1992, M. Arregui performed the first ТАРР using a prolene mesh. In 1986, Irving Lichtenstein proposed the concept of „tension-free repair”. Basing on his concept, Lichtenstein described an open technique of inguinal hernia repair, which now bears his name and is popular in surgical practice. In 1993, the term „extraperitoneal hernia repair” first appeared in an article by Edward H. Phillips. However, J. Dulucq developed the modern ТЕР technique. Currently, three tension-free inguinal hernia repairs (TAPP, ТЕР and Lichtenstein procedure) and one tension inguinal hernia repair (Shouldice procedure) dominate in inguinal hernia surgery.