Long-Term Outcome Study in Patients with Abdominal Wound Dehiscence: A Comparative Study on Quality of Life, Body Image, and Incisional Hernia

Objective: Long-term quality of life and body image of patients with abdominal wound dehiscence were assessed. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with abdominal wound dehiscence from a prospectively followed cohort of 967 patients (2007-2009) were reviewed. Patients completed the Short Form 36 quality of life questionnaire and Body Image Questionnaire and participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. For each patient, four controls were matched by age and gender. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, comorbidity, and follow-up length. Results: Of the 37 patients with abdominal wound dehiscence, 23 were alive after a mean follow-up of 40 months (range 33-49 months). Nineteen patients developed incisional hernias (83 %). Patients with abdominal wound dehiscence reported significantly lower scores for physical and mental component summaries (p = 0.038, p = 0.013), general health (p = 0.003), mental health (p = 0.011), social functioning (p = 0.002), and change (p = 0.034). No differences were found for physical functioning (p = 0.072), role physical (p = 0.361), bodily pain (p = 0.133), vitality (p = 0.150), and role emotional (p = 0.138). Patients with abdominal wound dehiscence reported lower body image scores (median 16.5 vs. 18, p = 0.087), cosmetic scores (median 13 vs. 16, p = 0.047), and total body image scores (median 30 vs. 34, p = 0.042). Conclusions: At long-term follow-up, patients with abdominal wound dehiscence demonstrated a high incidence of incisional hernia, low body image, and low quality of life.

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