Autologous fat transplantation for secondary breast reconstruction: our experience

Autologous fat transplantation is used after breast reconstruction to improve the breast profile. There are a variety of different methods used for fat harvesting, preparation, and reinjection. This study describes the specific techniques we used in this series of autologous fat transplantations in breast reconstruction patients and reports their outcomes compared with other studies in the literature.

At the University Hospital of Parma between May 2012 and December 2016, we performed 53 autologous fat transplantations for secondary breast reconstruction patients with an average age of 49 years (range: 34-65 y). A tumescent fluid (NaCl, epinephrine, and a local anaesthetic) was injected, and the lipoaspirate was harvested using a closed aspiration-injection system connected to a 50 ml syringe, a 4 mm infiltration cannula, and a -650 mmHg vacuum. The average amount of lipoaspirate obtained was 100 ml (range: 50-200 ml). Centrifugation of the lipoaspirate (3000 rpm for 3 min) was performed to isolate the adipose tissue (average amount obtained, 80 ml; range: 30-180 ml). Under local anaesthesia, the retrograde injection of thin layers of fat graft in multiple tunnels was performed in the subcutaneous and/or subglandular planes.

Average follow-up was six months. Comparable to other studies, our complication rate was 7.4% (n = 4/53) and included cyst formation at the injection site (n = 1/53) and hematoma at the donor site (n = 3/53). Repeat fat grafting was performed in 28.3% of patients (n = 15/53) due to fat graft resorption.

Autologous fat transplantation is a useful procedure for correcting irregularities in the breast contour in secondary breast reconstruction.