The aim of this study was to report the five-year incidence of incisional hernia after vascular repair of abdominal aortic occlusive (AOD) and aneurysmal disease (AAA), and to determine the factors associated with the development of this complication. Consecutive patients who underwent AAA and AOD at the University of Manitoba, Canada, between January 1999 and December 2002, were recruited and evaluated by clinical examination one week, one month and six months after the surgery, and through medical records review thereafter. The development of postoperative incisional hernia was recorded and analyzed. Two-hundred four patients, with a mean age of 70.1 years, provided consent for the study. The overall five-year incidence of incisional hernia was 69.1% and the overall median failure time was 48 months. The median failure time was 48 months for AOD and 36 months for AAA (P