Panniculectomy to facilitate gynecologic surgery in morbidly obese women

Objective: To determine whether abdominal panniculectomy done in conjunctio n with pelvic surgery in morbidly obese women is safe and useful. Methods: Twenty morbidly obese women had excision of large abdominal pannic uli in conjunction with pelvic surgery at New Hanover Regional Medical Cent er between November 1994 and September 1998. Panniculectomy was to improve surgical exposure and to decrease the incidence of wound necrosis, infectio n, and dehiscence among those high-risk women who all had chronic intertrig o in the skin folds under their panni. Results: The women were 38-65 years old (mean 51 years) and weighed 202-475 pounds (mean 305 pounds). Their body mass indices were 35-76 (mean 51.5). Three women had superficial partial wound dehiscence, which was heated succ essfully with office debridement. There were no pulmonary emboli or operati ve deaths. Conclusion: Abdominal panniculectomy is safe and useful in morbidly obese w omen. (Obstet: Gynecol 1999;94:528-31. (C) 1999 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.).