Since 1973 we have used a modified Shouldice repair to treat inguinal hernias in adults. The repair was performed on unselected patients. The procedure was performed by both senior surgeons and surgeons in training. Over a 10-years period, 880 transversalis fascia repairs were done and 726 (82.5%) were examined by the authors 12-142 months after the operation (mean time 66.1 months). In 94.2% of the 726 repairs the patients were satisfied with the result. Follow-up studies revealed testicular atrophy in 0.6%, deep wound infection in 0.8% and an overall recurrence rate of 5.8%. The recurrence rate was not significantly different after direct, indirect, combined or sliding hernias. In 25% of recurrences the patients were asymptomatic and unaware of the recurrence.