Lipoabdominoplasty: Comparing UAL Versus UAL/PAL Techniques on Complication Profile and Patient Safety

Purpose This study intends to assess the complications and outcomes related to the use of UAL (LIPO SAVER, LHbiomed Co, Gangnam-gu, Korea) versus a combination of UAL and PAL (Microaire, Charlottesville, VA, USA) within the abdominoplasty procedure. Material and Method A retrospective study used patient data and chart reviews in a single surgeon’s private cosmetic practice. The study involved patients who underwent the lipoabdominoplasty technique with UAL and a combination of UAL and PAL (UAL/PAL) over 4 years from October 2017 through December 2022. A total of 280 patients (272 female, eight male) who underwent standard ( n :258) or fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty ( n :22) due to skin excess, musculofascial laxity, and lipodystrophy were included in the study. Patients with illnesses affecting microcirculation, such as diabetes mellitus type I and II, cardiopulmonary diseases, oral contraceptive usage, hereditary bleeding and thrombotic disorders, and those who had undergone revision abdominoplasties were excluded. Results BMI above 30 kg/m 2 was associated with an increased risk of both minor and major complications in the UAL abdominoplasty group ( P = 0.005 and 0.001, respectively). On the other hand, BMI over 30 kg/m 2 was associated with an increased risk of major complications in the UAL/PAL abdominoplasty group ( P = 0.011). BMI over 30 kg/m 2 was associated with an overall increased rate of minor and major complications in both the UAL and UAL/PAL groups ( P = 0.001 and 0.001, respectively). There was no statistical difference between the UAL and UAL/PAL groups regarding complications, but a slight increase in the overall complication rate was observed in the UAL group ( P = 0.061). Additionally, the study unveiled that there was no correlation found between age, gender, duration of surgery, lipoaspirate volumes and combined surgeries with an increased risk of complications between groups. Conclusion BMI over 30 kg/m 2 has been shown to have an adverse effect on the profile of complications in both groups, resulting in an increased risk, especially for major and minor complications such as seroma in the UAL group. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .