Abdominal scars - summary

Complete list

1 - Kocher's Incision

• Biliary surgery eg. Cholecystectomy
• Hepatic surgery (may also require a larger transverse incision for wider access: eg. Liver Transplant)

2 - Upper Midline laparotomy

• Nissens fundoplication
  • observe: associated with Gastrostomy tube?
• Upper GI surgery

2a - Lower / Long Midline Laparotomy Scars

• Any major abdominal surgery

3 - Transverse Upper Abdominal Incision

• Repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia
• Splenic surgery

4 - Ramstedt's Pyloromyotomy Scar

• Ramstedt's Pyloromyotomy Scar - treatment of Pyloric Stenosis

5 - Grid-Iron Incisions at McBurney's Poiint

• Appendicectomy
  • A non-inflamed appendix should always be removed once this scar has been made so that clinicians are not mislead in the future.
  • Called the 'Grid-Iron' incision due to the way the muscle layers are divided at operation.
  • McBurney's Point: the junction of the distal third and proximal two thirds of the line between the umbilicus and the anterior superior iliac crest.

6 - Umbilical / Sub-umbilical Scars

• Hernia repairs
• Gastroschisis repair
• Exomphalos

7 - Point incision marks

• Laparoscopy port sites
• Drain sites
• Also consider abdominal wound sites for Ventriculo-Peritoneal shunts

8 - Inguinal Incisions

• Inguinal hernia repairs
• Vascular access scars

9 - Lateral Thoracolumbar Incision

• Renal Surgery - eg. Nephrectomy

10 - 'Hockey-Stick' scar

• Examine for orthotopic renal transplant