Background Several studies have been performed to identify risk factors for abdominal wound dehiscence. No risk model had yet been developed for the general surgical population. The objective of the present study was to identify independent risk factors for abdominal wound dehiscence and to develop a risk model to recognize highrisk patients. Identification of high-risk patients offers opportunities for intervention strategies. Methods Medical registers from January 1985 to December 2005 were searched. Patients who had primarily undergone appendectomies or nonsurgical (e.g., urological) operations were excluded. Each patient with abdominal wound dehiscence was matched with three controls by systematic random sampling. Putative relevant patientrelated, operation-related, and postoperative variables were evaluated in univariate analysis and subsequently entered in multivariate stepwise logistic regression models to delineate major independent predictors of abdominal wound dehiscence. A risk model was developed, which was validated in a population of patients who had undergone operation between January and December 2006. Results A total of 363 cases and 1,089 controls were analyzed. Major independent risk factors were age, gender, chronic pulmonary disease, ascites, jaundice, anemia, emergency surgery, type of surgery, postoperative coughing, and wound infection. In the validation population, risk scores were significantly higher (P \ 0.001) for patients with abdominal wound dehiscence (n = 19) compared to those without (n = 677). Resulting scores ranged from 0 to 8.5, and the risk for abdominal wound dehiscence over this range increased exponentially from 0.02% to 70.1%.Conclusions The validated risk model shows high predictive value for abdominal wound dehiscence and may help to identify patients at increased risk.

Cumulative incidence of HCC is low in patients treated with ETV, but ETV does not eliminate the risk of HCC. Discriminatory performance of HCC risk scores was limited, particularly in Caucasians, at baseline and during therapy.

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SUMMARY BackgroundBefore stopping nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 6-12 months of consolidation therapy is recommended.

In a retrospective, dynamic analysis of almost 300 patients with chronic HBV infection, we found that levels of HBsAg <100 IU/mL identify patients with inactive virus with a high level of specificity. HBsAg levels should therefore be used to define phases of HBV infection in HBe antigen-negative patients.

NCT01532843.

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