title: Extraperitoneal laparoscopic hernia repair: experience in 178 patients.
abstract: The evolution of a preferred technique for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has been occurring over the past several years. The early work of Ger involved a stapled closure of the dilated internal ring using a specialized 12-mm. instrument, which combined the functions of tissue approximation and stapling. This was followed by a prosthetic mesh plug technique of Schultz and Corbitt, which consisted of a free mesh plug occlusion of the inguinal canal, combined with prosthetic patch coverage of the hernia defect.
authors.affiliation: Attending Surgeon, Summit Medical Center, Oakland, Alta Bates Medical Center, Berkeley Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, University of California Davis Medical Center, Davis, CA.
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Gardiner
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Szabò