DIEP Flap Donor Site Versus Elective Abdominoplast

Authors: Marzia Salgarello Damiano Tambasco Eugenio Farallo

Publish Date: 2011/08/20

Volume: 36, Issue: 2, Pages: 363-369

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Abstract

Although over the past decade the DIEP flap has emerged as one of the preferred choices for autologous breast reconstruction and the donorsite closure has much in common with the standard abdominoplasty technique reports on comparisons of the complication rates between DIEP and elective abdominoplasty patients are not currently available The purpose of this study was to compare DIEP donorsite and elective abdominoplasty shortterm complications rates in support of surgical choicesSearches of MEDLINE and CENTRAL for English language articles on DIEP and elective abdominoplasty EA published from January 1999 through December 2009 identified 33 studies that met the inclusion criteria and included 3937 patients A randomeffects model was used to calculate the average complication rate in the literatureThe rate of seroma/hematoma in EA 161 95 confidence interval CI = 122–209 was approximately four times the rate in DIEP flap patients 37 95 CI = 15–88 was found from analyzing the data under a randomeffects model No substantial differences in the rates of infection abdominal/umbilical necrosis or wound dehiscence/delayed healing between the two series of patients were detectedThis metaanalysis reveals that DIEP donorsite complication rates were comparable to those in elective abdominoplasty and the rate of seroma in DIEP is an even lower than that of one of the most performed procedures in plastic surgery We argue that patients presenting for a DIEP flap should be informed about this interesting comparison

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