Closure of fascial incisions made at the time of laparoscopy: development of a device.

Incisional hernias follow approximately 3% of major laparoscopic procedures when the fascia is not adequately closed. Fascial closure, however, is difficult when skin incisions are small and subcutaneous tissue is thick. We report the development of a self-contained device that sutures the anterior abdominal wall peritoneum and fascia at the completion of laparoscopic surgery without extending the cutaneous incision.