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Related Experiment Videos

Fat transfer and fatal macroembolization.

Denis C Astarita1, Lisa A Scheinin, Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran

  • 1Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, Los Angeles, CA, 90033.

Journal of Forensic Sciences
|February 6, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Fatal macroscopic fat embolism following buttock enhancement surgery is rare. Sciatic varices may serve as a conduit for fat emboli to reach the lungs, necessitating pre-operative screening.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Plastic Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery

Background:

  • Fat embolism is a known complication of trauma and surgery, typically diagnosed clinically and rarely fatal or visible macroscopically.
  • Buttock enhancement procedures, involving liposuction and fat injection, carry risks, including rare instances of fat embolism.
  • Sciatic notch varices are associated with sciatica and may represent an anatomical pathway for fat emboli.

Observation:

  • Autopsy of a patient who died during buttock enhancement surgery revealed fatal macroscopic fat embolization to the lungs.
  • The patient underwent liposuction and fat injection, with fat injected into the buttocks.
  • Macroscopic fat embolization, particularly from cosmetic procedures, is exceedingly rare.

Findings:

  • The case demonstrates a rare instance of fatal macroscopic fat embolization secondary to buttock enhancement surgery.
Keywords:
Brazilian butt liftautologous fat transferfat embolismforensic pathologyforensic sciencegluteal varicesliposuction

Related Experiment Videos

  • Sciatic varices are proposed as a potential vascular conduit facilitating the migration of injected fat to the pulmonary circulation.
  • The diagnosis of fat embolism was confirmed macroscopically during post-mortem examination.

    • Implications:

    • Pre-operative screening for sciatica symptoms and potential sciatic varices via imaging is recommended before buttock-enhancing surgeries.
    • Awareness of this rare complication and potential risk factors is crucial for surgeons performing these procedures.
    • Minimizing risks associated with fat injection, such as careful technique and pre-aspiration, is essential.