Laparotomy

Generality

The term "laparotomy" is intended to indicate the "set of all surgical techniques performed by making an" incision along the abdominal wall, in such a way as to be able to intervene directly in the abdominal cavity and in the organs contained within it.

Types of Laparotomy

Depending on the abdominal area on which it is necessary to intervene, the surgeon will perform the type of laparotomy that best suits each case.
Basically, there are three different types of laparotomy, which differ from each other in the way in which the abdominal incision is made:

• Vertical laparotomies, when the incision made on the abdomen is, in fact, vertical. Vertical laparotomies can, in turn, be divided into:
  • Xipho-umbilical incision;
  • Navel-pubic incision;
  • High trans-rectal incision;
  • Low para-rectal incision.
• Transverse laparotomies, when the incisions made are horizontal. In particular, this type of laparotomy is used in pancreatic and adrenal surgery (the form used is Ross's bilateral subcostal incision) and in obstetric-gynecological surgery (in this case, the form used is the lower transverse incision of Pfannestiel).
• Oblique laparotomy, in which the incision on the abdomen is made obliquely. In this case, we can distinguish:
• Kocher's subcostal incision;
• McBurney's iliac incision.