An incisional hernia can be caused by the type of incision, by postope
rative complications like wound infection, long term ventilation thera
py or prolonged intestinal atony, by metabolic disorders and chronic o
bstructive pulmonary disease. The incidence is 7-11%. A survey is give
n about the diagnostics and the indication for closure of the fascial
defect. Several operative techniques and their results are presented.
The indications for the different operative techniques are discussed.