Lichtenstein Tension-Free Hernioplasty for the Repair of Primary and Recurrent Inguinal Hernias

Abstract

For more than a century, the measure of success of hernia repair was its recurrence rate. In 1966, for the first time, the importance of the postoperative disability period of hernia repair was brought to the attention of surgeons by Lichtenstein. With the goal of decreasing postoperative pain, recovery period, and recurrence rate, the tension-free hernioplasty project was started at the Lichtenstein Hernia Institute in June 1984. The concept is based on (1) the degenerative etiology of inguinal hernia and destruction of the inguinal floor and (2) the association of traditional tissue repairs with undue tension at the suture line.