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Transverse verses midline incisions for abdominal surgery
1Dept Surgery, Northern General Hospital, Herries Rd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK S5 7AU. stevebrown@doctors.org.uk
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 20, 2005
Summary
Transverse abdominal incisions may offer early benefits in pain and pulmonary function compared to midline incisions. However, these advantages are not clinically significant as complication rates and recovery times remain similar for both surgical approaches.
Area of Science:
- Abdominal surgery
- Surgical techniques
- Patient recovery
Background:
- Surgical incision choice impacts abdominal surgery outcomes.
- Transverse/oblique incisions may offer advantages over midline incisions.
- Literature lacks consensus on optimal abdominal incision type.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare midline versus transverse abdominal incisions for patient recovery.
- To determine if transverse incisions provide recovery advantages over midline incisions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized trials comparing midline and transverse abdominal incisions.
- Exclusion of cesarean section studies.
- Data extraction and quality assessment by two independent reviewers.
Main Results:
- Transverse/oblique incisions may reduce early postoperative pain and improve pulmonary function.
- No significant differences in early or late postoperative complications between incision types.
- Similar recovery times observed for both midline and transverse incisions.
Conclusions:
- Transverse incisions may reduce analgesia use and pulmonary compromise, but clinical significance is uncertain.
- Complication rates and recovery times are comparable between transverse and midline incisions.
- Surgeon preference remains key in selecting the optimal abdominal incision due to study limitations and heterogeneity.