The September issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery printed a study reporting panniculectomy and hysterectomy could be performed in combination without excessive additional risks or complications.
Researchers looked into a national surgical database regarding 25,000 women patients who had undergone hysterectomy surgery from the years 2005 to 2012; of these patients, 174 also undergone panniculectomy in a combination procedure. The surgery took about 4 hours when in combination compared to 2 hours for just a hysterectomy surgery.
During the comparison of matched patient groups with similar characteristics, it was found that there isn’t any change in the risk factor of VTE. There was also no change in overall complications, including those arising from wounds, on the site of surgery or other medical complications. This depicts the importance of selecting patients for the combined procedure to avoid complications.
The most significant factor for most patients in is the length of the hospital stay, which can be a deterrent from the combined procedures.
The data from this research suggests that the complication risks are comparable to those women who opt for the combination procedure of hysterectomy and panniculectomy versus those who undergo just hysterectomy. However, it is advised that these patients receive sufficient counseling for the extended hospital stay.