Laparotomy Closure: A Review of Available Education Training Models

As studies continue to provide advanced knowledge concerning abdominal wall closure after laparotomy, there have been many improvements in surgical techniques and recommended closure materials. However, there continues to be a high rate of incisional hernias following exploratory laparotomies. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive assessment of available educational models for laparotomy closure.

A comprehensive literature review was made using PubMed, Cochrane, and NCBI MeSH databases to find the most relevant articles associated with various abdominal closure models using specific keywords.

Human cadaver, animal, synthetic, and virtual reality models were reviewed. Strengths and limitations of each model were described.

Each model has practical benefits in its ability to mimic in vitro anatomy and the experiential similarities to actual laparotomy closure. However, there are also limitations and potential cost-prohibitive factors for individual models. Overall, while there have been some advances in synthetic and virtual models, human cadaver and porcine models remain the most similar to human abdominal wall closures.