Abdominal wall herniorrhaphy is the most common major operation performed by general surgeons for adult and pediatric patients. In this issue of Current Problems in Surgery, Dr Raymond Read, formerly Professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas, writes about “Recent Advances in the Repair of Groin Hernias.” His article is unusual for Current Problems in Surgery because it is all text without tables or illustrations. Rather, he addresses the topic from the vantage point of one who not only has studied this disorder extensively but who also has a life-long experience in the treatment of patients with the problem. His article begins with a section on etiologic factors, but he devotes most of the monograph to the techniques of hernia repair and includes the most recent innovations. The final sections of the monograph concern complications that are associated with hernia repair and the special situations that are associated with herniorrhaphy in very young patients and in elderly patients. This is an excellent article that summarizes the present knowledge of the hernia in a highly personal and authoritative manner.
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