Yes. In fact, inguinal hernia surgery in our modern era goes back about 150 years, and for almost a century, was based on reconstructing the patient's own tissues (i.e. no mesh). In the past 70 years or so, mesh has become increasingly the standard in repair of the groin hernia due to more reproducible results (i.e. more surgeons are able to achieve good results). Having said that, the Shouldice Clinic in Canada has been consistently producing excellent results (recurrence rates around 1% or less) for decades, and a handful of surgeons experienced in the technique also offer it. There has also been an ongoing interest in other non-mesh techniques, such as the Desarda repair (first described in 2001) and the Kang repair (a modification of the Marcy repair), and a combination of techniques.

The short answer is that we are not yet sure. Most in the surgical community would answer that the Shouldice operation is the best non-mesh inguinal hernia repair. But some advocate the Desarda repair or the Kang repair. Furthermore, many experienced surgeons do hybrid techniques based on patients' individual factors and anatomy. Having said that here are some of the pros and cons of Shouldice and Desarda:

1. Shouldice:
PRO: 

• longer history and presence in the surgical literature with lower recurrence rates

CONS: 

• theoretically the tissue tension is moderate

• more surgeon skill / experience required

2. Desarda:

PROS:

• tissue tension is low

• technically easier / more reproducible for surgeons

CONS:

• theoretically more of a concern with a weak inguinal floor

• newer than Shouldice with less experience in the surgical community

Most experts agree that having a skilled and experienced surgeon is most important with surgical success long-term. Having said that, published rates of recurrence in general for inguinal hernias range usually from 1 to 10%, with non-mesh repairs having a slightly higher recurrence.

Here are links to interesting reading:

• The history of inguinal hernia surgery

Inguinal hernia papers:

• Long Term Outcomes after Surgery for Inguinal Hernia: a Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing Outcomes of Desarda and Lichtenstein Repairs with Three Years of Follow-Up
  Desarda versus Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

• Novel modification of Marcy operation for indirect inguinal hernia reconstituting deep inguinal ring shutter action

• Shouldice technique versus other open techniques for inguinal hernia repair

• Shouldice Versus TAPP for Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

• Shouldice versus Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

• Mesh versus non-mesh for inguinal and femoral hernia repair

• Is Shouldice the best NON-MESH inguinal hernia repair technique? A systematic review and network metanalysis of randomized controlled trials comparing Shouldice and Desarda