Panniculectomy and supraumbilical vertical midline incisions in morbidly obese gynecologic oncology patients.

Background: We reviewed the outcomes of panniculectomy and supraumbilical vertical midline incisions in morbidly obese women undergoing gynecologic operations.
Study Design: Medical records were reviewed for 62 morbidly obese women with a large dependent pannus who underwent gynecologic operations on the Gynecologic Oncology Service at the State University of New York at Stony Brook between May 1990 and July 1997. Thirty-five patients underwent panniculectomy and 27 had a supraumbilical vertical midline incision, forming the study groups. The patient charts were abstracted for demographic, perioperative, and postoperative data.
Results: For the entire study population, the average age was 56 years, the mean body mass was 128.6 kg, and the mean Quetelet Index was 48.3 kg/m2. The mean operative time and estimated blood loss were similar for both groups. Eight percent of the patients had urologic injuries, evenly distributed between the groups. Postoperative infections, wound breakdowns, and hospital stay were greater for the panniculectomy group than for the supraumbilical vertical midline incision group (p < 0.05). Uniform use of subcutaneous closed-suction drains (since 1995) was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of wound breakdowns and a shorter hospital stay in the panniculectomy group.
Conclusions: Panniculectomy and supraumbilical vertical midline incision provide reasonable peritoneal access with acceptable rates of postoperative complications for morbidly obese women undergoing gynecologic operations.