Abdominoplasty for male truncal obesity: case report

Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jun 1:36:52. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.36.52.19905. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Truncal obesity and its associated health risk is an enormous burden. The traditional surgical treatment modality is liposuction or lipoabdominoplasty. An uncommon mode of the treatment is the use of abdominoplasty alone or as a surgical component. The aim of this report is to show a satisfactory outcome of abdominoplasty as the only surgical component in the management of severe truncal obesity in elderly male patient. We report a 75 year old Nigerian trader who had truncal obesity with gross abdominal asymmetry and cardiovascular and diabetes mellitus co-morbidities as well as bilateral knee osteoarthritis and social isolation due to truncal disfigurement. He was offered abdominoplasty as a sole surgical option for correction of anterior abdominal wall asymmetry. Apart from post operative wound complications and blood transfusion reactions, the patient had a good recovery and improved quality of life. Abdominoplasty is a rewarding treatment when used as a sole surgical option in centrally obese patients with anterior abdominal wall asymmetry and significant subcutaneous fat thickness.

Keywords: Abdominoplasty; elderly male; quality of life; truncal obesity.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Wall / surgery
  • Abdominoplasty / methods*
  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Obesity, Abdominal / surgery*
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology
  • Quality of Life*