Conclusions
hernia, fascia dehiscence
COMPLICATIONS
Abdominal wall closure is an important surgical step after emergency laparotomy, as it is frequently associated with complications. Evidence regarding differences in rates of postoperative burst abdomen or incisional hernia depending on the surgical technique of abdominal wall closure is sparse. After a careful appraisal of the available data no evidence for or against either of the two abdominal techniques (continuous versus interrupted) as prophylaxis of fascia dehiscence after emergency laparotomy was generated. However, the impact of our results is reduced by the high drop-out rate during follow-up. Until further high-quality RCTs are published both techniques of abdominal wall closure should be considered adequate alternatives in the emergency setting.