Assessing the safety and efficacy of combined abdominoplasty and gynecologic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Combined surgery is an attractive option for both patients and surgeons. Unfortunately, it remains unclear to patients whether plastic surgery can be combined safely and efficaciously with other surgeries, particularly gynecologic surgery. The goal of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of combined abdominoplasty and gynecologic surgery. METHODS: A case-control study of 25 patients undergoing combined abdominoplasty and intra-abdominal gynecologic surgery was performed. These combined patients were compared with control group patients undergoing abdominoplasty alone and gynecologic surgery alone. Demographic data, operative time, estimated blood loss, pre- and postoperative hemoglobin, length of hospitalization, and complications were compared between combined and control groups. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions were seen in operative time, estimated blood loss, and total days of hospitalization when comparing the combined group to the sum of the control groups. In this study, no major complications, including the need for blood transfusion or pulmonary embolus, were noted in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate success in performing abdominoplasty with gynecologic surgery, which may be an acceptable option for patients.

Surgical Approach to Orbital Floor Fractures: Comparing Complication Rates Between Subciliary and Subconjunctival Approaches.

BACKGROUND: There are multiple approaches to repairing orbital floor fractures. This study compares the postoperative complications of the subciliary and transconjunctival approaches. METHODS: The electronic medical records from 2 hospitals were screened for CPT codes associated with orbital floor reconstruction. A total of 184 patients were identified and included in the study. Patient characteristics and complications were compared by surgical approach. RESULTS: Of the 184 patients, 82 (44.6%) were in the subciliary group and 102 (55.4%) were in the transconjunctival group. The overall postoperative complication rate was 25.5%. The most common of these were diplopia (11.4%), corneal injury (7.1%), proptosis (5.4%), and enopthalmos (4.9%). The complication rate was not statistically significant between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Subciliary and transconjunctival approaches to orbital floor repair are equally safe. This study is limited by a smaller sample size, and a larger study will likely be necessary to fully address this question.