Muscle repair failed - Is muscle repair failure very common in severe separation , is my age (50) and visceral fat an issue?

Question

I’m 50 yr old female 30bmi. Had tt with muscle repair and I had an an impact to above my belly button. Immediately I had a hard lump and throughout the next couple of weeks I had pain, swelling, tenderness in my upper stomach. The bulging belly returned. Now below my bb is pulling apart. ISeen surgeon and we discussed mesh since I had 9cm DR and the repair failed. Is muscle repair failure very common in severe separation , is my age and visceral fat an issue? I have no doubt in my surgeons skillsbut I wonder if something is wrong with my fascia or if it will happen again? I couldn’t edit my question so I will add the injury happened several months after the surgery.

Kyle Summers, DO · Answer

While exact statistics vary, studies suggest that DR repair failure or recurrence after abdominoplasty occurs in approximately 5-20% of cases, with higher rates in severe DR (>6cm), obesity, or when complications like hematoma or infection occur. The impact you experienced could have contributed to the failure, as early trauma can disrupt the delicate healing process. It also could just be due to the size of the DR as well as the visceral fat.

Muscle repair failed - Is muscle repair failure very common in severe separation , is my age (50) and visceral fat an issue?

Answers (1)