Liposuction and Plastic Surgery Information - Iraqi woman has 33 pounds of fat removed in surgery

Iraqi woman has 33 pounds of fat removed in surgery

Monday, 08 January 2007

An Iraqi woman suffering from morbid obesity had 15 kilograms (33lbs.) of fat removed from her abdominal cavity in a surgical procedure called a panniclectomy.

The procedure, which is quite uncommon, removes a dense layer of fatty tissue from the abdominal cavity and cuts away the excess skin after the operation. The 50 year old patient, Warka Younis, weighed 175 kilograms (385 lbs) before the operation, and her stomach had stretched to the point where it was hanging just above her knees. Unable to find a surgeon in Iraq capable of performing the procedure, she travelled to India to have the operation under the supervision of Ajaya Kashyap, Chief of Plastic Surgery, at the Fortis Hospital in Delhi.

After the operation, she commented,

“I had to do something about the weight as it affected my basic routine. I had problem in even maintaining basic hygiene. I was having difficulty in walking, standing and even sitting.

Panniculectomy differs from liposuction in that it is designed as a weight loss procedure, whereas liposuction is not primarily designed for losing weight, but for removing excess fatty tissue that won't respond to dieting and exercise. The procedure also differs from abdominoplasty , or a tummy tuck , because the procedure merely removes the excess fat and skin, without making any attempt to tighten the abdominal muscles.

“The obesity usually comes with other disorders like back problems, skin infections, rashes and ulcers. Apart from, having problems in maintaining hygiene, the patient was suffering from diabetes and hypertension.” said Dr. Kashyap

As with other procedures such as liposuction and abdominoplasty, there are associated, but infrequent complications that can arise from the surgery, such as infection of the incision wound, bleeding and excessive scarring.

Tags: liposuction, panniclectomy, surgery,