Open Mesh versus Laparoscopic Mesh Repair of Inguinal Hernia

From the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and the Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (L.N.); the VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Hines, Ill. (A.G.-H., D.R.); the Department of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago (O.J.); the Department of Surgery, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebr. (R.F.); the Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago (D.D., J.G.); and the Health Outcomes Program, University of Colorado, Aurora (W.H.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Neumayer at VAMC-112, 500 Foothill Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84148, or at [email protected]. edu. *The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program 456 Investigators are listed in the Appendix. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1819-27. Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. background Repair of inguinal hernias in men is a common surgical procedure, but the most effective surgical technique is unknown.