Abdominoplasty for treatment of abdominal gun-shot wound sequalae – A case report

• Published in: International journal of surgery case reports 2020-01, Vol.72, p.365-368
• Main Authors: Zhitny, Vladislav Pavlovich, Iftekhar, Noama, Moreno, Shannon, Stile, Frank
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominoplasty; Gunshot wound; Scar revision; Tummy tuck
• ISSN: 2210-2612; 2210-2612
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.06.056

•Limited literature exists on abdominoplasty for therapeutic purposes.•Patient arrived with emotional distress related to lasting gunshot injury scar.•Abdominoplasty was completed for revision of the gunshot injury.•Plastic surgeons should be creative in their techniques for revision. Gun violence is a public health epidemic in the United States with 15,315 non-suicide related deaths reported in 2019 by the Gun Violence Archive. To date, abdominoplasty is primarily a cosmetic procedure, which involves low-lying incision, removal of excess skin, fat, and tissue, and strengthening of the abdominal wall musculature. There currently are limited reports in regard to abdominoplasty as a procedure for scar revision and abdominal deformity repair associated with gunshot related injuries. An African American female patient, 38 years of age, presented for correction of a wide healed surgical incision and incisional hernia in the midline abdomen. This resulted from a trauma laparotomy in treatment of multiple gunshot wounds. Patient presented post-operatively with no complications. She had successful reduction of her incisional hernia using an anatomic repair. Her wide hypertrophic abdominal scar was excised and primarily closed. In the cases of abdominal hernia and scarring secondary to trauma laparotomies performed for gunshot wounds, abdominoplasty is an option for revision and repair.