Umbilical Hernia Repair in Conjunction With Abdominoplasty: A Surgical Technique to Maintain Umbilical Blood Supply
Accepted 10 February 2009.
Abdominal wall hernias are often diagnosed on clinical examination or encountered intraoperatively during an abdominoplasty. Traditional surgical techniques for abdominoplasty and umbilical hernia repair, when performed simultaneously, can potentially compromise the vascular supply to the umbilicus. The authors describe a simplified surgical technique for the correction of umbilical hernias in conjunction with abdominoplasty. This procedure avoids any fascial incisions immediately adjacent to the umbilicus, thereby maintaining a maximal blood supply to the umbilical stalk. Over a six-year period, 17 patients underwent the described procedure. None have had a recurrence of their hernia or umbilical necrosis, and the aesthetics of the umbilicus have been improved.
Reprint requests: Dr. Jeffrey D. Friedman, MD, The Institute for Reconstructive Surgery, The Methodist Hospital, 6560 Fannin Street, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030
Presented at the 2007 American Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting in Baltimore, MD, October 26–31, 2007.
DISCLOSURES
The authors have no disclosures with respect to the contents of this article.
1 Dr. Bruner is the Chief Resident and Dr. Salazar-Reyes is a Resident in the Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine.
2 Dr. Friedman is from The Institute for Reconstructive Surgery, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX.
ABSTRACT