Since 1978, 108 patients with 111 inguinal hernias have been treated with Shouldice hernioplasty in our hospital, including 97 males and 11 females with a mean age of 54 years. 85.6% of them were primary hernias and 14.4% of them were recurrent ones. Local anesthesia was performed in 67.6%. The average operation time was 84 min. Immediate postoperative complications were present in 4.5% of the patients. 93.5% of the patients were followed for an average period of 4.6 years. There was only one recurrence (1.0%). These results indicate that Shouldice hernioplasty is an effective repair for both primary and recurrent inguinal hernia in which most cases can be performed under local anesthesia with early recovery.