Fleur-de-Lys abdominoplasty—a consecutive case series

Sixty-eight consecutive patients who had undergone Fleur-de-Lys abdominoplasty are described. The mean age was 39 years, (22–62 years) and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 29 kg/m2 (17–47 kg/m2). Forty patients had documented weight loss, mean 39 kg (10–103 kg). The operation duration ranged from 1 h 10 min to 4 h 15 min. The mean mass of tissue resected was 2.4 kg, (0.3–9.1 kg). The overall complication rate was 42/68 (62%) and complications were categorised as early, late, general and aesthetic. Complications were significantly related to patients with a greater age (p=0.0091), increasing BMI (p=0.0039), greater weight (p=0.0014) and greater mass of tissue resected (p=0.0002). There was no significant association between smoking and complications. There was no significant association between previous gastric partitioning surgery and complications. Despite the significant complication rate, a single operation achieved a satisfactory outcome in 82% of patients. Our data reinforce findings from previous studies, which have demonstrated that patients should be required to reduce weight prior to body contouring surgery.