The incision is made in the general area of the suspected lesion. In the trauma patient, a long midline incision ensures adequate exposure for an extensive exploration. When an incarcerated hernia is likely to contain gangrenous intestine, some prefer to open the abdomen with an oblique incision above the groin in order to divide the viable bowel above the point of incarceration, lessening the chances of gross contamination when the hernial sac is opened. In the presence of previous scars, especially in the midline, a new incision may be judiciously made beyond the end or to one side in order to lessen the chance of injuring the underlying, probably tightly adherent small intestine.