"Weight Control Following Body Contouring Surgery - Long-Term Assessment of Postbariatric and Non-bariatric Patients".

Abstract

Few reports of weight maintenance following body contouring (BC) surgery present weight measurements as percent weight change, and most of these studies do not isolate BC to specific body areas. This study analyzes weight control in the trunk-based BC population and further compares BC outcomes in postbariatric and non-bariatric patients. We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive postbariatric and non-bariatric patients who underwent trunk-based BC (abdominoplasty, panniculectomy, and circumferential lipectomy) from 1/1/2009 through 7/31/2020 at West Virginia University. A minimum twelve-month follow-up was required for inclusion. With BC surgery date as the reference point, percent total weight loss (%TWL) was assessed at six-month intervals for two years following BC and every year thereafter. Change over time was compared between postbariatric and non-bariatric patients. Within the twelve-year timeframe, 121 patients meeting criteria underwent trunk-based BC. Average follow-up from date of BC was 42.9 months. Sixty patients (49.6 %) had previously undergone bariatric surgery. From pre-BC to endpoint follow-up, postbariatric and non-bariatric patients experienced a 4.39 ± 10.93% and 0.25 ± 9.43% increase in weight from baseline, respectively (p=0.0273). Once nadir weight loss was attained, weight regain occurred through endpoint follow-up in both groups (11.81% in the postbariatric patients and 7.56% in the non-bariatric BC cohort, p=0.0106). Long-term weight regain is common following trunk-based BC surgeries, specifically in postbariatric patients. Although this should not contend with the psychological benefit of removing this excess tissue, it is important to report results with ideal weight metrics to optimally assess outcomes in this population.