Effects of abdominoplasty on respiratory functions: a prospective study

The short-term and the long-term effects of abdominoplasty on the respiratory function of healthy adults are not known because of a lack of studies on this subject. Theoretically one might suggest that abdominoplasty can cause respiratory decompensation resulting from musculofascial plication, which reduces the respiratory reserve by decreasing intra-abdominal volume and diaphragmatic excursion. This prospective study was performed to evaluate the short-term effects of abdominoplasty on the pulmonary function of 14 consecutive otherwise healthy subjects. Calculation of the body mass index, measurement of the waist circumference, and the distance from xiphoid to umbilicus, and spirometry were performed for each subject preoperatively, and they were repeated at 10 and 30 days after the operation. The mean values of body mass index (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.05), and the distance from xiphoid to umbilicus (p < 0.001) were all decreased significantly by postoperative day 10. Comparison of the spirometric measurements showed a significant improvement in the mean forced vital capacity (p < 0.01) on day 30 postoperatively, whereas the mean forced expiratory volume in first second did not change throughout the study period. The authors conclude that abdominoplasty could improve pulmonary function in healthy subjects by increasing the forced vital capacity.