Abdominoplasty following colostomy.

An abdominoplasty was performed on a 57-year-old woman, 5 years after she had undergone a permanent colostomy for ulcerative colitis. The abdominoplasty was performed in an attempt to reduce the increased abdominal girth thought to be responsible for excess leakage of effluent from the colostomy site with changes in posture and increased abdominal pressure. A simple abdominoplasty flap was designed to decrease the excess abdominal tissue without impinging on the colostomy site. The result was dramatic in accomplishing the set-out goals. An added bonus was a reversal of preoperative urinary incontinence. This outcome is thought to be a result of more efficient voiding after abdominal muscle plication and stabilization.