ABSTRACT
Panniculectomy to facilitate pelvic access is commonly performed in morbidly obese patients, and has been previously described in multiple reports (4,9-15). For gynecologic procedures confi ned to the pelvis and lower abdomen, excising this portion of the abdominal wall provides excellent operative access while allowing a more uniform abdominal closure. Reported benefi ts of panniculectomy in series comparing it to standard laparotomy include decreased incisional complications and increased lymph node count (16,17).
