A meta-analysis of 40 studies involving over 183,000 patients reveals midline incisions significantly elevate the risk of incisional hernias, exhibiting rates up to 18.7%. In colorectal surgery, midline approaches show an alarming odds ratio of 11.7 for hernia formation versus transverse methods. Key risk factors include obesity, male gender, COPD, and wound infections, with most hernias emerging within the first year post-surgery. Optimizing incision techniques based on patient profiles could mitigate these risks.
Review by Kanani F, Messer N (…) Zoabi N et 2 al. in Am Surg