Moloney darn repair versus lichtenstein mesh hernioplasty for open inguinal hernia repair

Purpose. To compare two tension-free techniques of inguinal hernia repair: the Moloney darn repair (MDR) and Lichtenstein mesh hernioplasty (LMH). Methods. The subjects of this study were 651 patients from a total 732 who underwent open inguinal herniorrhaphy at our clinic between January 2000 and January 2006. We evaluated and compared analgesic requirement in the first 24 h, operative time, hospital stay, early postoperative complications, time until return to work, and recurrence, between patients who underwent MDR (group A) and patients who underwent LMH (group B). Results. Group B patients required less analgesia in the first 24 h than group A patients. Conversely, the mean operative time and postoperative hospital stay were shorter in group A. Early postoperative complication rates and the time until return to work did not differ significantly between the two groups. During follow-up, recurrences developed in three patients from group A and four from group B. The cost of MDR was significantly less than that of LMH. Conclusions. Both MDR and LMH resulted in rapid recovery and low recurrence rates; however, the advantage of the MDR lies in the fact that it does not require mesh, so it is much less expensive.