Prospective One-Year Evaluation of the Safety and Effectiveness of an Investigator-Developed Rectus Abdominis Plication Technique in Abdominoplasty

September 1, 2026 updated by: Research Inc
This prospective single-group study will evaluate an investigator-developed rectus abdominis plication performed during abdominoplasty. Standardized ultrasound will measure inter-rectus distance before surgery and at 3 and 12 months. The primary outcome is change in mean inter-rectus distance at one year. Recurrence, abdominal wall function, BODY-Q satisfaction, surgical complications, and reoperation will also be assessed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Adults undergoing primary abdominoplasty with rectus diastasis will receive a standardized plication described in a locked operative manual. Baseline and postoperative ultrasound will measure the inter-rectus distance at three fixed abdominal levels. Operative variables and protocol adherence will be recorded. Follow-up visits through month 12 will assess anatomical durability, recurrence, abdominal wall function, patient-reported satisfaction, and complications. The study is designed to generate reproducible one-year safety and effectiveness estimates and to identify factors associated with recurrence.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Jose D Salazar, MD, Plastic surgeon
  • Phone Number: +57 311 6058486
  • Email: heimdal007@gmail.com

Study Locations

  • Colombia
      • Medellín, Colombia
        • Recruiting
        • IQ interquirofanos
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 to 65 years.
  • Scheduled for primary abdominoplasty with rectus plication.
  • Rectus diastasis documented clinically or by baseline ultrasound.
  • Stable body weight for at least 3 months before surgery.
  • Ability to complete ultrasound and clinical follow-up through 12 months.
  • Written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior major abdominal wall reconstruction or mesh repair that prevents standardized plication assessment.
  • Ventral or incisional hernia requiring a separate reconstructive procedure.
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or planned pregnancy during the 12-month follow-up.
  • Uncontrolled systemic disease or contraindication to elective abdominoplasty.
  • BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 unless the final operative protocol intentionally includes this population.
  • Inability to obtain technically adequate baseline ultrasound measurements.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Investigator-Developed Rectus Plication
Participants undergo abdominoplasty with the standardized investigator-developed plication and complete one-year anatomical, functional, and safety follow-up.
Procedure: Investigator-Developed Rectus Abdominis Plication
A standardized plication is performed during abdominoplasty. The locked operative appendix will specify patient position, exposure, cranial and caudal limits, suture material, number of layers, stitch configuration, target tension, intraoperative measurements, and management of associated hernia if permitted. Linked arm/group(s): Investigator-Developed Rectus Plication.
Diagnostic test: Standardized Abdominal Wall Ultrasound
Inter-rectus distance will be measured at fixed levels during a standardized respiratory phase and abdominal muscle state. Three measurements per level will be averaged by a trained assessor. Linked arm/group(s): Investigator-Developed Rectus Plication.
Active Comparator: abdominoplasty without plication
Participants undergo abdominoplasty without the standardized investigator-developed plication and complete one-year anatomical, functional, and safety follow-up.
Diagnostic test: Standardized Abdominal Wall Ultrasound
Inter-rectus distance will be measured at fixed levels during a standardized respiratory phase and abdominal muscle state. Three measurements per level will be averaged by a trained assessor. Linked arm/group(s): Investigator-Developed Rectus Plication.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Mean waist perimeter
Time Frame: Baseline and postoperative month 12. 12 months
waist perimeter in cm will be measured by a meter at fixed supraumbilical levels. Change is 12-month minus baseline distance; a more negative value indicates greater narrowing.
Baseline and postoperative month 12. 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Plication-Related Major Complications
Time Frame: From surgery through postoperative month 12.
Proportion of participants with abdominal compartment symptoms requiring intervention, plication disruption, symptomatic recurrence, reoperation, thromboembolic event, respiratory compromise attributed to increased abdominal pressure, or other serious event adjudicated as related to plication.
From surgery through postoperative month 12.
Change in Abdominal Wall Physical Function
Time Frame: Baseline, postoperative month 3, and postoperative month 12.
Change in the selected validated abdominal/core function instrument or BODY-Q Physical Function score. The final instrument and scoring rules will be locked before enrollment.
Baseline, postoperative month 3, and postoperative month 12.
Change in BODY-Q Abdomen Satisfaction Score
Time Frame: Baseline, postoperative month 6, and postoperative month 12.
Rasch-transformed 0-to-100 BODY-Q Abdomen score; higher values indicate greater satisfaction with abdominal appearance. Use requires the appropriate license and authorized translation.
Baseline, postoperative month 6, and postoperative month 12.
Incidence of Standard Abdominoplasty Complications
Time Frame: From surgery through postoperative day 30. 30 days
Proportion with seroma requiring aspiration, hematoma, surgical-site infection, wound dehiscence, skin necrosis, venous thromboembolism, or unplanned reoperation.
From surgery through postoperative day 30. 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Research Inc

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: jose D Salazar

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 12, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 011 (Nahrain Medical Research Collective (NMRC))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

no contemplated in the patient informed consent

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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