Anterior inguinal hernia repair is the second-most-commonly performed abdominal operation and has been associated with low morbidity and mortality rates. The principle of laparoscopy has been applied to this surgical problem in a series of 762 patients with 841 inguinal hernias. Four types of laparoscopic repairs were conducted: (1) high ligation of the indirect inguinal hernia sac and closure of the internal ring (87 patients with 89 hernias); (2) plug and patch of the internal ring (74 patients with 87 hernias); (3) transperitoneal suture repair of the transversalis fascia to the iliopubic tract or Cooper's ligament (28 patients with 30 hernias); and (4) placement of a large prosthesis over the myopectoneal orifice (563 patients with 635 hernias). These early results indicate that the overall complication rates were low, especially when a large prosthesis was used to reinforce the myopectoneal orifice. It is concluded that laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy is a safe and effective procedure with which to manage this surgical problem.