Challenging the Subcostal Incision Scar with the Two-staged Abdominoplasty: An Innovative Approach

Abstract

Summary:. Abdominoplasty is a commonly sought-after procedure due to its life-transforming results, but is limited, as in any other operation, by a number of contraindications. One of these contraindications is a subcostal scar, which may jeopardize blood supply to the upper flap of the abdominoplasty, resulting in skin necrosis. Herein, we challenge this dogma by introducing the two-staged abdominoplasty with the utilization of a delayed flap in a 48-year-old multiparous woman presenting with a Kocher incision of open cholecystectomy, with good results and a complication-free course of 3 postoperative months. We recommend this approach in patients with subcostal scars. However, more research into the utilization of delayed flaps in abdominoplasty should be done to have a more well-founded conclusion.