Abdominal Wall Subcommittee

Colorectal surgical patients suffer a large burden of morbidity and an impaired quality of life due to problems related to their abdominal wall. Colorectal surgeons represent a large part of the emergency on call rota and perform many emergency laparotomies with or without stomas. Elective colorectal operations are also associated with a relatively high incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) and subsequent incisional hernia formation. Incisional hernias and recurrent incisional hernias are common. Parastomal hernias are also common and problematic and there is no satisfactory method of prevention or repair. Reoperative colorectal operations with or without intestinal failure can lead to abdominal wall failure with complicated and problematic incisional hernias. There is probably no other surgical subspecialty that is associated with as much abdominal wall morbidity and many colorectal surgeons in the UK are involved in incisional hernia repair and a minority have developed a practice in abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR)

Committee Members