A Pfannenstiel incision , Kerr incision, Pfannenstiel-Kerr incision or pubic incision is a type of abdominal

surgical incision In surgery, a surgical incision is a cut made through the skin and soft tissue to facilitate an Surgery, operation or medical procedure, procedure. Often, multiple incisions are possible for an operation. In general, a surgical incision is made as ...

that allows access to the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

. It is used for gynecologic and orthopedics surgeries, and it is the most common method for performing

Caesarian section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

s today. This incision is also used in Stoppa approach for orthopedics surgeries to treat pelvic fractures. The Pfannenstiel incision offers a large view of the central pelvis but limits exposure to the lateral pelvis and upper abdomen, factors that limit the usefulness of this incision for gynecologic cancer surgery. This incision is commonly called the "

bikini line Bikini waxing is the removal of pubic hair using a special wax, which can be hot or cold, that adheres to hairs and pulls them out when the wax is removed quickly from the skin, usually with a cloth strip. While the practice is mainly associa ...

incision". Some common reasons for this surgical access are obstetric delivery and

hernia repair Hernia repair refers to a surgical operation for the correction of a hernia—a bulging of internal organs or tissues through the wall that contains it. It can be of two different types: herniorrhaphy; or hernioplasty. This operation may be pe ...

. It is often used in preference to other incision types for the sake of aesthetics, because the scar will be hidden by the pubic hair. The incision does not distort the

belly button The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus, commonly known as the belly button or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. All placental mammals have a navel, although ...

and heals faster than the traditional vertical incision. The surgeon cuts on a generally horizontal (slightly curved) line just above the

pubic symphysis The pubic symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint between the left and right superior rami of the pubis of the hip bones. It is in front of and below the urinary bladder. In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis attaches to the pubic ...

. The skin and subcutaneous fat are lifted off the rectus muscle fascia, going towards the head. This allows access to the lower midline of the anterior abdominal wall fascia. The fascia was cut vertically to separate the rectus muscles and enter the abdomen. Though the skin is incised transversely, the fascia was initially made in the midline but the modern technique involves transection of the fascia laterally.

Etymology and history

The name derives from the surname of

Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel (28 June 1862 – 3 July 1909) was a German gynecologist born in Berlin. In 1885 he received his doctorate in Berlin and afterwards worked as a hospital assistant in Posen. He later moved to Breslau, where in 18 ...

(1862–1909), the German gynecologist who invented the technique in 1900. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the incision was popularized by Monroe Kerr, who first used it in 1911, so in English-speaking countries it is sometimes called the Kerr incision or the Pfannenstiel–Kerr incision. Kerr published the results in 1920, proposing that this method would cause less damage to the vascularized areas of the uterus than the classical operation. He claimed that it was better than the longitudinal uterine incision in terms of chances for scar rupture and injury to vessels.

References

External links

Pfannenstiel incision
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfannenstiel Incision Abdominal surgical procedures Medical procedures 1900 in science 1900 in Germany

Etymology and history

See also

References

External links