Breast Enlargement Technique Uses Patient's Own Fat

A plastic surgery procedure in which the patient's own fat is transplanted to the breasts, along with treatment to expand the breast tissue before surgery, can achieve up to a twofold increase in breast size, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Pennsylvania Hospital of Medicine (PA, USA) and Back Bay Plastic Surgery (Boston, MA, USA) conducted a prospective examination of 46 breasts in 25 patients treated with fat grafting for breast augmentation between 2007 and 2009. Indications for surgery included micromastia, postexplantation deformity, tuberous breast deformity, and Poland syndrome. Preexpansion was performed in all patients, and liposuctioned fat from other parts of the body was processed using low-g-force centrifugation. All patients had preoperative and 6-month postoperative three-dimensional (3D) volumetric imaging and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify breast volume.

The results showed that all women had a significant increase in breast volume, ranging from 60% to 200% at six months (as determined by MRI), and all had breasts that were soft and natural in appearance and feel. MRI examinations postoperatively revealed no new oil cysts or breast masses. On average, about 300 cc of fat was transplanted per treated breast. The study was published in the June 2011 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

"Preexpansion of the breast allows for megavolume [over 300 cc] grafting with reproducible, long-lasting results that can be achieved in less than two hours," concluded lead authors Daniel Del Vecchio, MD, and Louis Bucky, MD. "These data can serve as a benchmark with which to evaluate the safety and efficacy of other core technology strategies in fat grafting."

The preexpansion technique is an adaptation of the fat transplantation technique, performed using the Brava device, a bra-like apparatus that uses gentle negative pressure to gradually expand the breast. The pre-expansion procedure provides extra room in the breast, which is subsequently filled using autologous fat obtained by liposuction from one part of the body--for example, the thighs--and transferring it for use in breast enlargement and reshaping.

Related Links:
Pennsylvania Hospital of Medicine
Back Bay Plastic Surgery