The last decade has brought new technical developments to incisional hernia repair. Agreement has been achieved that tension-free hernia repair using prostheses reduces recurrence rates significantly. Currently, discussion focusses on laparoscopic (intraperitoneal onlay mesh = IPOM) versus open (sublay) approach, and on the question as to which mesh should be used. We have evaluated publications of the last years comparing the IPOM and the sublay techniques. All studies concern small cohorts and only short follow-up times. Nevertheless, in a descriptive analysis both techniques are associated with low recurrence rates (< 5 %). Furthermore, it seems that laparoscopic repair leads to a better quality of life and reduced total hospital costs. None of the available materials can be described as the "ideal mesh", so far. Due to the quality of the available studies, the question concerning the best approach and the best mesh cannot be answered sufficiently yet. For these decisions, prospective, randomised studies are urgently needed.