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Updated: May 1, 2026
Assessment of Viability of Human Fat Injection into Nude Mice with Micro-Computed Tomography
Published on: January 7, 2015
Autologous fat processing via the Revolve system: quality and quantity of fat retention evaluated in an animal model
Heather Ansorge1, Jaime R Garza, Michael C McCormack
1Dr Ansorge is a Senior Product Development Engineer, Dr Leamy is a Staff Scientist, Ms Roesch is a Senior Clinical Scientist, Mr Barere is a Director of Product Development, and Dr Connor is a Senior Director from the Department of Research and Development, LifeCell Corporation, Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Background:
Currently, fat graft viability and retention cannot be reliably predicted. The reasons for this variability are not fully understood, although fat processing has been implicated.
Objectives:
The authors compare the in vitro quantity and in vivo fat retention from lipoaspirate processed by the Revolve system (LifeCell, Bridgewater, New Jersey) compared with centrifugation and decantation.
Methods:
Ten patients were enrolled in this prospective study. Lipoaspirate from each patient was processed by each of 3 methods: decantation, centrifugation, and the Revolve system. Biochemical characteristics and free oil, adipose, and aqueous phases of the processed fats were determined. Fat grafts were implanted in nude mice; volume retention and quality of the fat grafts were evaluated after 28 days. Viability of retained fat was demonstrated by intact adipocytes and neovascularization on histology.
Results:
Of the 10 patients, 9 were women and 1 was a man. Mean patient age was 40.7 ± 8.9 years (range, 30-55 years). Fat tissue obtained from all methods had good physiological properties with neutral pH and isotonic salt concentrations. The Revolve system yielded significantly less blood cell debris, a higher percentage of adipose tissue, and a lower percentage of free oil compared with the other 2 methods. Fat tissue retention from Revolve samples was significantly higher (73.2%) than that from decanted samples (37.5%) and similar to that from centrifuged samples (67.7%).
Conclusions:
The Revolve system produced physiologically compatible, preinjection fat with reduced contaminants and free oil in conjunction with high fat content. In an animal model, volume retention of Revolve-processed fat grafts was significantly greater than decanted samples. The Revolve system presents a fat-processing option that was less time-consuming, easier to use, and more efficient in this study than standard centrifugation or decantation.
