A total of 101 consecutive abdominoplasty patients were reviewed retrospectively. Of these, 14 male (mean age at time of operation, 34.3 years; range, 23 to 53 years) and 72 female (mean age at time of operation, 38.9 years; range, 19 to 64 years) patients had adequate documentation for inclusion in this study. Complications were recorded as either wound complications (wound infection, partial wound dehiscence, seroma, hematoma, and skin edge necrosis) or complications after surgery (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, ileus, sensibility disorder of the skin of the thighs, and death). The complications were subsequently correlated for sex, race, the patient's age at surgery, body mass index before surgery, and the seniority of the surgeon. Nine male patients (64.3 percent) and 11 female patients (15.3 percent) had wound complications. Almost 10 percent of our patients sustained an injury to the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. Male patients should be informed about their possible higher risk of complications, and special attention must be given by the surgeon to the prevention of such complications.Moreover, specific attention must be given to the preservation of the lateral cutaneous nerves of the thigh in both male and female patients undergoing abdominoplasties.

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term durability of a standard vertical plication of the anterior rectus sheath. For this purpose, 70 women who had undergone this procedure as part of an abdominoplasty were sent a questionnaire, their records were studied, and they were invited back to the clinic for an examination using ultrasound. A total of 63 patients returned the questionnaire, and 40 were willing to attend a follow-up consultation and ultrasound investigation. The presence of rectus diastasis was assessed by ultrasound (a real time scanner with a 7.5-MHz linear probe). The study showed that after a follow-up of 32 to 109 months (mean, 64 months), standard plication of the abdominal wall with absorbable material led to residual or recurrent diastasis in 40 percent of the patients. It also confirmed that vertical plication only is not enough to improve the waistline and may eventually lead to epigastric bulging.