Combining Abdominal Hernia Repair With Abdominoplasty-Is it Safe?

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• General Surgery
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Background:

• Rising obesity and demand for body contouring create a need for combined hernia repair and abdominoplasty.
• GLP-1 receptor agonist use is increasing, potentially impacting patient selection for these procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety and feasibility of performing abdominoplasty concurrently with ventral hernia repair.
• To evaluate outcomes using a standardized surgical approach.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of 20 patients undergoing simultaneous abdominoplasty and ventral hernia repair.
• Primary outcomes: 30-day surgical site occurrences (SSOs), hernia recurrence, reoperation rates.
• Secondary outcomes: operative efficiency, patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• 15% SSO rate (2 seromas, 1 chronic drainage); no hematomas or mesh infections.
• No hernia recurrences identified at a mean follow-up of 27.3 months.
• Mean operative time was 306 minutes (reconstructive 115 min, aesthetic 167 min).

Conclusions:

• Concurrent abdominoplasty and ventral hernia repair is safe in carefully selected patients.
• Complication rates are comparable to abdominoplasty alone, with no hernia recurrence.
• Further prospective studies are needed to refine patient selection and standardize techniques.