Section 6.3 – Opening the abdomen
A vertical incision is first made
Transverse incisions are made at the top and bottom ends of the midline incision
This allows the dissector open back the abdominal wall
And expose the underlying contents
When this is completed
The right and left halves of the abdominal wall must be unhinged as fare as possible
This is important in accessing the mesentery later in dissection
After exposing the contents in this manner
The greater omentum can be observed and rotated upwards
To expose the small intestine and associated region of mesentery
After dividing the sternum in the midline
The rib cage can then be divided from the midline laterally
These steps raise a flap of rib cage that can be returned when later closing cavity walls
After exposing abdominal contents all pools of liquid are aspirated
This greatly assists exposure of regions of the mesentery