Study of correlation between body mass index (BMI) with aesthetic results and complication rate in lipoabdominoplasty

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this research was to compare the aesthetic results of lipoabdominoplasty between two groups of patients, the first group with patients with BMI below 30 and the second group with patients with BMI above 30 and to study the effect of increased BMI on the complication rate.

Methods:

This is a prospective study. Between June 2019 and September 2021, 30 female patient were treated in plastic surgery division at Al-Mouwasat university hospital in Damascus with lipoabdominoplaty. We excluded patients with previous history of liposuction or with major surgeries on the abdomen. Clinical assessment based on BMI (body mass index) was performed before the surgery with detailed history. We evaluated the aesthetic results based on patients satisfaction rates, and based on Lockwood criteria and compared the complication rate the two groups.

Results:

In this technique, we did full abdominal liposuction, then excised the skin ellipse below the umbilical level, and dissected the flap above the umbilicus until the xyphoid to create a tunnel ranging from four to six cm in width, and performed fascial plication above and below the umbilicus.

The statistical study showed that the increase in BMI does not cause a significant increase in the rate of complications when performing lipoabdominoplasty, and although aesthetic criteria decrease when increasing BMI, patient satisfaction remains high.

Conclusion: This study shows that combining liposuction with modified abdominoplasty is relatively safe, even as the BMI rises, and a high satisfaction rate is achieved in patients