Short-stay surgery (Shouldice technique) for repair of inguinal hernia.

Short-stay surgery for inguinal hernia repair using the Shouldice technique, with local anaesthesia in the great majority of cases, has achieved a recurrence rate of less than 1% in the repair of both primary and recurrent inguinal hernia. A personal series of 14 982 consecutive inguinal herniorrhaphies performed during a 21-year period with an overall recurrence rate of 0.6%, using the Shouldice technique exclusively, is documented and discussed in some detail. The results suggest that the adoption of these methods on a national scale would result in a saving to the economy of many millions of pounds.