New Delhi: A 63-year-old woman, who was afflicted with a rare disorder, called abdominal elephantiasis, for 10 years, underwent a complex tummy tuck operation in a private hospital in Faridabad.
The procedure resulted in the removal of 1 kg of surplus skin and fat deposits.
The operation involved the extraction of adipose tissue, skin folds and associated muscles, which resulted in considerable weight reduction for the patient.
Abdominal elephantiasis is a rare condition where excessive layers of loose skin and fat develop in the abdominal area, along with umbilical hernia, which presents as an unusual bulge near the navel.
The patient experienced significant distress for nearly 10 years, as the substantial mass of skin and fat suspended from her abdomen severely restricted her mobility.
Initial evaluation at Fortis Escorts, Faridabad, revealed that the patient had umbilical hernia and weak abdominal muscles. The medical team decided to perform two procedures: hernioplasty for hernia repair and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to address the excess tissue, while strengthening the abdominal wall muscles.
A surgical team headed by Dr Manish Nanda, additional director of plastic surgery, conducted a four-hour operation, and the patient was released within six days in a stable condition. Dr Nanda said: “Such a condition with extra-large folds of skin and fat is rare in this age group and occurs in 0.005% of the global population. It occurred in this case due to the patient’s age, obesity and decreased muscular tone of her abdomen.”
He added that the procedure was extremely challenging, considering the age of the patient and severity of the disease.
There were risks of excessive blood loss, infection of the skin, widening of the wound, multi-organ failure and chances of the patient being put on ventilator support.
“However, we followed the standard operation procedure which included her cardiac evaluation, blood sugar monitoring, injecting insulin (as she had diabetes), precision anaesthesia, surgical execution and advanced wound care. All these led to a successful surgery. If the surgery was not done on time, the patient would have had a poor quality of life, increased risk of cardiac ailments, early degenerative changes in the joints and spine, and increased chances of skin infections due to her increased weight.
