This is the inicial experience in Brazil with the routine use of prosthetic tensionless repair of common inguinal hernias. Before that many groups had been using prosthetic material in selected cases, mostly recurrences. Seventy six patients were operated on, 12 of them bilaterally so that there were 88 procedures over direct (26,1%), indirect (56,8%) and both direct and indirect hernias (17,1 %). The hernia sacs are reduced to the abdominal cavity and the abdominal wall is reinforced by the placement of a polipropilen mesh on the transversalis fascia. The technique is detailed described. Only minimal pain occurred in the postoperative period. There were no infeccion, no rejection, and until now (30 months of medium follow up), no signs of recurrences. Many aspects of the surgical treatment of inguinal hernias are discussed including results, feseability, risks and costs. It is concluded that prosthetic tensionless repair of inguinal hernias is easy, fast, safe and cheap. It does not require general anaesthesia neither complex material. It has excellent results and as it does not create tension sutures, it causes less pain and allows normal physical activity very soon. It suggests that, in common inguinal hernias, maybe we can spare the patient and community from the higher costs of laparoscopic surgery since we can obtain excellent results with an easier and cheaper method.
Inguinal hernia; Surgical mesh