Decreasing Seroma Incidence Following Abdominoplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of High-Quality Evidence

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundSeroma formation is the most common complication of abdominoplasties. Many preventive interventions have been proposed, but none have been recognized as a definitive solution, partly due to varying levels of evidence (LOE) in the literature. ObjectivesWe aimed to analyze seroma prevention methods supported by high-level evidence. MethodsThe PubMed database was queried through August 2023. Primary articles of interest included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective comparative studies, and meta-analyses of these studies. The LOE for each article was determined according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Rating Scale. The “seroma occurrence ratio,” or ratio of seroma events in the interventional group to respective control group, was calculated to compare incidence rates between techniques. ResultsTwenty articles and 9 categories of techniques were analyzed. Study designs included 10 RCTs, 2 prospective cohort studies, 7 prospective comparative studies, and 1 retrospective randomized study. The use of progressive-tension and quilting sutures had the most data supporting a statistically significant reduction in seroma (occurrence ratio 0.306, PPPP ConclusionsThis review highlights multiple seroma prevention techniques for abdominoplasty investigated in recent high-quality literature. We suggest future randomized comparative studies of the various seroma prevention methods to fully ascertain their efficacy following abdominoplasty. Level of Evidence: 1