Optimizing body contour in massive weight loss patients: the modified vertical abdominoplasty.

In morbid obesity, contour deformities of the abdomen are common after bariatric surgery and radical weight loss. Traditional abdominoplasty techniques often fail to maximally improve body contour in these cases because adjacent sites such as the hip rolls and flanks are not treated, leaving the patient with large lateral tissue redundancies and dog-ears. In an attempt to solve these challenging problems, the authors present the modified vertical abdominoplasty technique, a single-stage procedure that involves a combined vertical and transverse approach in which an "en bloc" resection of the redundant tissues is performed without undermining, drainage, or reinforcement of the abdominal wall.