Prophylactic mesh versus primary closure in emergency and elective surgeries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Purpose: Incisional hernia is one of the most common post-operative complications. Previous studies showed that prophylactic mesh placement in laparotomy closure is safe and reduces the incidence of incisional hernia. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis comparing post-operative complications after the use of prophylactic permanent mesh placement versus primary closure in patients undergoing elective or emergency laparotomies.