Letter to the Editor: Alternative Stomal Closure Technique

We read the recently published article by Ameer et al. comparing outcomes of purse-string and conventional linear closure techniques for stoma reversals [1]. In short, the authors performed a randomized controlled trial to compare these two techniques, finding that purse-string closure led to significantly lower rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) and better scar quality. While we know from previous data that purse-string closures should reduce SSI risk, we were surprised by the second finding as we have moved away from purse-string suture techniques based on long-term cosmesis concern [2,3].