ABSTRACT
A hernia is any area of weakness or disruption of the fibromuscular tissues of the body wall through which structures can pass from one cavity to another. They represent one of the oldest recorded human maladies, and the history of their repair parallels the history of surgery itself. Hernia repair is the most common surgical procedure performed in Western countries, with more than 1.1 million abdominal wall hernia repairs in the United States in 2003, of which 800,000 were groin hernias.1
