Retrospective analysis of 70 patients who underwent post-bariatric abdominoplasty with neo-omphaloplasty

Abstract

Introduction: With the increasing surgical treatment of obesity, a new group of patients is being attended by plastic surgeons: those with large flaccid skin following weight loss. For patients treated with conventional or open bariatric surgery, vertical, anchor-line, or inverted “T” abdominoplasty has been widely used to improve the abdominal contour. In this study, abdominoplasty was associated with umbilical amputation followed by neo-omphaloplasty. Methods: Seventy patients with stable weight for at least 18 months underwent surgery at the UNICAMP Plastic Surgery Outpatient Clinic, from March 2011 to April 2013. In all patients, anchor-line abdominoplasty with excision of the original navel was executed, together with the surgical specimen and preparation of neo-umbilicus, through bilateral dermal-fat flaps. A retrospective analysis of medical records and photographic archives was performed. Results: The 70 patients were predominantly female (91%) and white (83%) with a mean age of 40 years. After a wait time of approximately 16 months, they were subjected to anchor-line abdominoplasty associated with neo-omphaloplasty, which lasted an average of 2 hours. There were post-operative complications in 29.85% of the patients, including small dehiscence, unsightly, enlarged, or hypertrophic scars, keloid, seroma, relevant dermo-fatty excesses, and wound infection. The neo-umbilicus obtained from the surgery is very similar to the original umbilicus. We did not observe necrosis, stenosis, morphological distortions, or bad positioning. Conclusion: This technique has made it possible to obtain an umbilicus with a natural look, is easy to perform, and shortens operating time.