Rifat Lati fi
Editor

2013

Oh, if only it were that simple! Certainly, Sir Wakely was referring to inguinal and perhaps umbilical hernias in this well-known quotation from the middle of the last century. I wonder if at the time he could have imagined the true complexity of the problem: our limited understanding of the dynamic physiology of abdominal wall tension and the need for more re fi ned surgical techniques to manage abdominal wall defects. Perhaps most shocking of all to Sir Wakely might have been the ability for patients to withstand and survive catastrophic illness resulting in complex abdominal wall defects.