Necessity into choice. An appraisal of inguinal herniorrhaphy under local anaesthesia.

A policy of using local anaesthesia whenever possible for the repair of inguinal hernias was adopted in Seychelles primarily because a constant supply of anaesthetic gases could not be depended upon. The technique adopted is described and the results obtained over an 18-month period are reported. Experience has shown that local anaesthesia for this operation has many advantages and few disadvantages and is now preferred to general anaesthesia except when contraindicated by special circumstances.