How can surgery fix a hernia?

"close the hole": A hernia is a hole in the abdominal wall through which the inner lining of the abdominal cavity may protrude, creating a sac. This hole is typically closed by either suturing it shut or bridging the gap with a patch of artificial tissue.

Fix the hole: Generally a mesh is placed through an incision to cover the hernia. This creates a tension-free repair and leads to few recurrences. Prior to using this technique, the hernia was closed by sewing the edges of the hole (the hernia) together, this created a great deal of tension and led to many recurrences.