Classic groin hernia repair…lest we forget

Currently, operative repair of inguinal hernia is most often performed using one of the open mesh procedures or laparoscopic techniques. These newer approaches minimize anatomical dissection critical to the time-honored traditional hernia surgery described by Bassini, Halsted, McVay, Laroque, Shouldice, and other early pioneers. The familiarity with groin anatomy and the technical skill gained in performing these operations is currently missing from present-day surgical residency training. This article reviews 5 classic hernia operations described by the surgeons whose name they bear, with a view toward better understanding the authors' techniques and philosophies. Each of these operations, though considered by some as of historical interest only, offers today's surgeon reliable alternatives when the simple application of mesh by open or laparoscopic technique is inappropriate. (Curr Surg 62:249–252. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.)