Can abdominoplasty and hysterectomy be combined safely?

Yes they can, according new research presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) annual meeting in San Diego.

"The results suggest that combined abdominoplasty and hysterectomy is a safe and effective way to help patients attain both cosmetic and medically important outcomes in the same surgical procedure," conclude study authors led by Emery M. Salom, MD, from the Florida International University in Hieleah.

There were no reports of major complications in the new retrospective analysis of 65 patients who underwent both procedures concurrently between 1995 and 2011. The overall complication rate was 32%, the study showed. Ten percent of women had a fever, 8% had wound complications, and 2% had a urinary tract infection. Three percent had to have a blood transfusion, and 9% of the women had atelectasis.

The average time of surgery was 210 minutes, and the average length of hospital stay was 3.8 days. Women were aged 46 on average and weighed about 184 pounds. Their average body-mass index was 31.9.

The study authors said the potential benefits of combining the surgeries included reduced overall healing time, decreased time spent in the hospital, and a reduction in the anesthesia risks.

[Source: ACOG]