A Pfannenstiel incision ( in English) is a type of surgical

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 incision that allows access to the abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

. Because the exposure is limited this incision should be used only when surgery is planned on the pelvic organs. The Pfannenstiel incision offers large view of central pelvis but limits exposure to the lateral pelvis and upper abdomen, factors that limit the usefulness of this incision for gynecologic cancer surgery. The surgeon cuts on a generally horizontal (slightly curved) line just above the pubic symphysis

Pubic symphysis

The pubic symphysis or symphysis pubis is the midline cartilaginous joint uniting the superior rami of the left and right pubic bones. It is located anterior to the urinary bladder and superior to the external genitalia; for females it is above the vulva and for males it is above the penis...

. This incision is commonly called the "bikini line incision". Some common reasons for this surgical access are obstetric delivery

Obstetrics

Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...

 and hernia repair

Hernia

A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....

. It is often used in preference to other incision types for the sake of aesthetics, because the scar will be hidden by the pubic hair. This is of great advantage for women who like to expose their lower abdomen. The incision does not distort the belly button and heals faster than the traditional vertical incision.

Etymology of the name

Although Pfannenstiel means "panhandle" in German, the name of the Pfannenstiel incision does not derive from the incision's shape or location. It derives instead from the surname of a German gynecologist, Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel

Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel

Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel was a German gynecologist who was a native of Berlin.In 1885 he received his doctorate in Berlin and afterwards worked as a hospital assistant in Posen. Later he moved to Breslau, where in 1896 he became an associate professor...

(1862–1909).