Inverting bilateral figure-of-eight suture of the rectus sheath after burst abdomen with destruction of the linea alba: a new technique.

The authors report a new technique for secondary abdominal closure after burst abdomen as illustrated by the case of a patient who developed a perforated sigmoid diverticulitis following septic polyarthritis. Sigmoid resection was followed on the sixth day postoperative by a burst abdomen. Upon abdominal revision the burst abdomen was found to be caused by necrotic destruction of the linea alba. Abdominal wall closure was achieved using the novel technique of inverting bilateral interrupted figure-of-eight suture of the anterior and posterior rectus sheaths in combination with relieving lateral incisions and mesh implantation in the sublay technique. It remains for future studies to show whether this technique can reduce the high incisional hernia rate following secondary abdominal wall closure.