Use of Progressive Tension Sutures in Components Separation

Summary: Components separation is a widely used technique for defect size reduction in abdominal wall reconstruction, and ultimately helps achieve gold standard primary fascial reapproximation in many cases. Even with perforator-sparing techniques, oftentimes there are undermined skin flaps to varying degrees that can lead to complications such as seromas. In this article, the author describes the previously published technique of "progressive tension sutures" reported in the cosmetic literature and extrapolates it to reconstructive abdominal surgery with statistically significant decreases in drain output. This technique also enables recruitment of skin to the midline to afford tension-free reapproximation and excision of redundancy, thereby discarding the most random portion of the skin flaps.