Why do I require a CT scan before tummy tuck? (Photo)

Hello,
And thank you for the question.
It is common to obtain CT scan of the abdomen in patients who had undergone previous intra-abdominal surgeries to ensure that there are no underlying hernias or bulges prior to tummy tuck surgery.
I hope this helps.Best regards, Dr. Karanetz
Dr. Irena KaranetzBreast Fellowship-TrainedBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon

The importance or value of a CT scan may be debatable, but no one can criticize your surgeon for being cautious. Safety should always be paramount in esthetic surgery.

It sounds like you have a smart surgeon. The most likely thing is to look for an evidence of hernias based on your previous surgeries so that the tuck can be done safely.

I suspect the surgeon wants to make sure there are no surprises when he or she operates. Making sure there is no hernia is probably the most important thing. Your surgeon is being extra careful because if your prior surgery

Dear kh2010,
every plastic surgeon has his own preoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

They are being cautious and want to make sure there is no hernia or the fascia is not pulled up in an abnormal way. The scar tissue around your belly button has complicated your case.

Hello KH 2010, I hope you are doing excellent. Well, this sounds a very normal and a wise decision of your surgeon. This is just for your safety, and done to be completely sure that you are a candidate for this kind of surgery. Let me se if I can explain you this in a very simple manner. Your Abdomen is a very complex structure, from the outside to inside you have: skin, fatty tissue, muscular fascia (take particular attention to this layer), muscles, then peritoneum which forms a pouch and inside it is contained your internal organs (bowel, liver, spleen, etc.). Muscular fascia is strong thick layer, and thats why we use it to do the internal corset or the muscle repair (which is the same thing). Also with hernias, surgeries or abdominal distention (due to pregnancy or obesity), this layer may present some defects or holes or gets softer, thinner and loose. Due to this abdominal wall defects bowel gets closer to the muscular fascia, and it is dangerous to perform a muscle repair because the needle used for the muscular repair may damage the bowel. A very good study for to objectively see the quality of the abdominal wall is the CT Scan, with this kind of exam you can identify hernias (the ones with natural development or the ones developed after an abdominal surgery), diastasis rectus abdomini and some other conditions. So CT Scan may be very helpful to diagnose before surgery conditions of your abdominal wall, that may put you in risk if they are incidentally discovered during surgery. I hope this helps you.

Thank you gor posting your photo with your intetesting question. Most likely your surgeon is concerned with a possible hernia, considering your previous J pouch surgery and is being cautious. Perhaps your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon can examine you in person and determine if a CT scan of your abdomen is necessary. Best wishes, Richard Wellington Swift, M.D.

The best person to answer this question is your surgeon. It is likely that extra precautions are being taken to ensure your safety and to prevent unexpected situations while in the operating room. Your surgeon will be able to answer what her/his rationale is for this requested test.

It is not possible to read someone else's mind, but I have a guess that they are working out of an abundance of caution. Not all Plastic Surgeons completed a full residency in General Surgery. Those of us who did are likely more comfortable coming across an unexpected hernia while doing a TT. For those who are not comfortable fixing incidental hernias (or do not have privileges at the site that they are doing the surgery to do so) might require having a General Surgeon available. It is also possible that your surgeon felt something that they wanted evaluated prior to surgery. You should ask your surgeon.