Abstract
ABSTRACT
Four hundred patients admitted to a gynecologic oncology service for laparotomy through a midline abdominal incision underwent wound closure using a continuous single-layer technique. Most closures were performed using No. 2 polypropylene suture (90%). Seventy-four percent of patients had malignant disease. Preoperative risk factors for wound failure were present in a large number of patients. The operative procedures performed included radical pelvic surgery, lymph node dissections, and bowel surgery. No wound dehiscences and four incisional hernias were observed during a minimum follow-up period of 3 months. Eighty-five percent of patients were followed for over 1 year. Continuous single-layer closure of midline abdominal incisions in high-risk gynecology patients is associated with a low incidence of wound dehiscence and incisional hernia. This technique is preferable to the more time-consuming interrupted methods of closure. (J GYNECOL SURG 8:15, 1992)
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