Difference b/w seroma and fluid filled tunnel after lipo?

Fluid filled tunnel sounds like some kind of made up term some provider is using as an excuse to alleviate patient anxiety.
Fluid accumulation after surgery is called a seroma. This happens when a potential space is left after surgery. Certain operations are more likely to leave a fluid collection, and for those procedures, a drain is sometimes plays during surgery to minimize the fluid collection forming.
If it fluid collection forms i.e. the patient develops a seroma then this should be treated correctly.
Fluid collections should be drained on a regular basis until it no longer forms. Preferably this means being seen on a daily basis draining the fluid until it no longer accumulates.
Alternatively, a drain can be placed by the surgeon or patient can be sent to interventional radiology for the placement of a drain under visualization.
Failure to appropriately manage a fluid buildup can lead to an encapsulation of the seroma, causing a chronic seroma to form.
Once the seroma becomes chronic or encapsulated, it can no longer be treated by just draining the fluid on a regular basis. An encapsulated seroma needs to be excised with open surgery. Most fluid collections can be managed and eliminated by being drained on a regular basis over a few weeks after the procedure. Failure to manage seromas correctly can lead to chronic seroma formation, which is far more difficult to manage and can leave secondary negative consequences, such as unnecessary, incisions and scars.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD