title: Small intestinal perforation and necrotizing fasciitis after abdominal liposuction.
abstract: Liposuction, the most common aesthetic procedure performed in the United States, is not without risk, but the overall complication rate in the literature varies from less than 1% to 9.3%. A 55-year-old woman who had undergone abdominal liposuction with bilateral breast augmentation was hospitalized in a state of profound septic shock. A diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was made on the basis of findings that included abdominal skin discoloration, subcutaneous emphysema, and air in the subcutaneous plane seen on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. During the operative procedure for abdominal wall debridement, extensive necrosis of abdominal wall fascia with leakage of bilious fluid from defects in the rectus sheath was found. Subsequent peritoneal cavity exploration showed two perforations in the mid ileum with gross peritoneal cavity contamination.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Geisinger Medical Center, 100 North Academy Avenue, Danville, PA, 17822, USA. devesharma@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Devesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dalencourt
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bitterly
authors.forename: Peter N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Benotti
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000601:surgery*; D019928:Breast Implantation; D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000293:injuries*; D015187:Lipectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011859:Radiography