EAES Consensus Development Conference on endoscopic repair of groin hernias

Groin hernia repair is one of the most common surgeries,performed globally in more than 20 million people per year[1, 2]. Historically, the first surgeries for groin hernias wereperformed by the end of the 16th century [3, 4]. Repairsthat involved reduction and resection of the hernial sac andenforcement of the posterior wall of the inguinal canal byapproximating its muscular and fascial components wereperformed by the end of the 19th century. Utilization ofprosthetic material was introduced in the 1960s, initiallyonly in elderly patients with recurrent inguinal hernias.Favorable long-term results of these mesh repairs allowedadoption of mesh repair in a larger group of patients. At thepresent time, the majority of surgeons prefer mesh repair ofinguinal hernias.In the early 1980s, minimally invasive techniques forgroin hernia repair were first reported, adding anothermodality to the management of these hernias [4]. Trans-peritoneal laparoscopic and extraperitoneal endoscopictechniques, collectively known as endoscopic surgery, havebeen developed. There is considerable variation of surgical