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Discontinuous undermining with liposuction may eliminate need for surgical drains

Discontinuous tissue undermining and the use of postoperative compression garments in lipoabdominoplasty was found to minimize seroma formation and may eliminate the need for drains, which many patients find uncomfortable, according to researchers.

The researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 100 patients (97 women) who underwent standard, extended and circumferential lipoabdominoplasty procedures performed by a single surgeon. Average patient age and BMI were 40 years and 25.1, respectively. All patients had at least 3 months of available follow-up data.

Karol Gutowski

Results showed an average volume of infiltration fluid in the trunk of 952 mL, and an average trunk lipoaspirate of 1,315 mL.

Compared with traditional abdominoplasty, no additional incision closure tension was found, despite less-direct abdominal flap undermining. Additionally, the researchers did not find worse incision-line scar formation in these patients.

Five of the 100 patients studied had seromas, two experienced hematomas, two presented with an abscess, one had a superficial surgical-site infection, one had a symptomatic granuloma and one experienced delayed healing involving more than 3 cm of the incision. Three of these 12 patients underwent repeat procedures that were related to the complications.

According to the researchers, in previous studies with more than 100 patients, seroma rates were commonly 2% to 4%. Seroma rates were similar in this cohort compared with studies where drains were used in abdominoplasty. - by Abigail Sutton

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.