I am pleased to announce that our practice has received Institutional Review Board approval to conduct a study to see if we can help improve abdominal pain after abdominoplasty. Participation in the study is completely optional.
Dysport is a medication similar to Botox in that it helps to weaken muscles temporarily. We are hoping that an injection of Dysport at the time of surgery will help the muscle spasm and tightness that patients usually feel after this surgery for several weeks to months. The dose given will not be enough to interfere with normal activities or exercise.
We have used Dysport on a few patients, and because we were so impressed with their decreased pain, decided to embark on this study. Patients will be randomized, which means they will either receive the Dysport or not. The Dysport injection is about a $500 value and will be given at no cost to the patient. All patients will be asked to keep a pain log for several months, and then we will see if we can detect a difference in the patients who received the Dysport with those who did not.
We are very excited about this research opportunity, but if it is not something you are interested in, you do not need to participate in the study.