Is midline or transverse better for abdominal surgery?
An unusual study at the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital examined for the first time whether the incision technique used in major abdominal surgery had an effect on the results. Neither physician nor patient knew what kind of incision had been made. The study of 200 patients showed that pain perception and the healing process were unrelated to the technique used to open the abdominal cavity. Complications were also just as frequent, except for wound infections, which were more frequent for transverse incisions, possibly due to circulatory problems. The surgeons in Heidelberg thus recommend that the surgeon make an individual, case-by-case decision on the incision technique. The incision technique has thus far never been examined scientifically Today, abdominal surgery is often done in a minimally invasive procedure using “keyhole surgery”. But for large operations, the abdomen must still be opened with a long incision. “Whether this incision is transverse or midl
