AboutAlan M. Engler, MD, FACS Expertise Dr. Engler has answered over 2700 plastic surgery questions for Allexperts. His expertise is in cosmetic plastic surgery including breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts etc.
Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction."
Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (SEARCH FOR "DR. ENGLER"). His website is www.bodysculpture.com.
Experience Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Education/Credentials Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (undergraduate) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University (medical school). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Question Dr,
at what point would you use sclerosing agents for persistent drainage after abdominoplasty (no pseudocyst)? What are the side effects and success rates?
thank you.
Answer from Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com
Hi Alex,
It's hard to give an absolute answer to that question, since each case is different. In general, though, I would try hard to avoid both sclerosants and/or a secondary procedure. I would leave drains in for several weeks if I had to. If, however, there was a large amount of drainage, and/or persistent drainage after that period, then I would consider sclerosants. But you also have to wonder why there is so much drainage; you would have to consider that there actually is a pseudobursa. In that case, you are likely to need to surgery to get the tissue out.
I don't have statistics for the use of sclerosants; as I believe they're used fairly rarely and, in any event, I don't know of any series large enough to have been reported.
Even with the issue of complications, I'm afraid I can't cite any large statistics. But you could certainly have some burning of the tissues (that's basically what the sclerosant does: it causes a chemical burn that helps the tissues "stick" together as they heal). If the solution gets into the wrong space, stays too long, is too strong - I suppose you can imagine some of the potential problems.
