ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Abdominoplasty has evolved over the years with improvement of techniques that initially had high complication rates. However, even with the evolution of operative techniques, seroma remains the most frequent early complication of this procedure. This study aims to compare the development of seroma after abdominoplasty with and without the use of quilting sutures.
Methods:
Twenty patients undergoing abdominoplasty were evaluated and divided into two groups: Group A (abdominoplasty using quilting sutures - Baroudi- Ferreira technique) and Group B (abdominoplasty without the use of quilting sutures).
Results:
Two patients in Group A (20%) had seroma, which was significantly lower (p = 0.05) than that in Group B, in which seven patients were diagnosed with seroma (70%). The mean volume observed in Group A was 26.5 mL, whereas in Group B, it was 146.5 mL. The highest volume aspirated in Group A was 130 mL, on the 15th postoperative day (POD), whereas in Group B it was 230 mL, on the 21st POD.
Conclusion:
In this study, the development of seroma in abdominoplasty was significantly lower in the group in which the Baroudi-Ferreira technique was used.
Keywords:
Seroma; Abdominoplasty; Suture techniques; Abdomen; Reconstructive surgical procedures