Tracking Fat Grafts by Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Comparative Study of Adolescent and Adult Patients with Stable...

The optimal timing of reconstruction for patients with facial localized scleroderma is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of autologous fat transplantation in adolescent and adult patients with stable localized scleroderma.

Adolescent (age 10 to 19 years) and adult (age >19 years) patients with no previous surgery were enrolled ( n = 10, each group). Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, blood tests, and dermatological assessments were used to assess disease activity. All patients underwent autologous fat transplantation for anatomic facial fat restoration with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging planning. Preoperative, immediate, and 1-year postoperative 3-dimensional Dixon magnetic resonance imaging scans, with image registration and fusion techniques, were used to track fat grafts. Patient satisfaction was assessed with a 5-point Likert scale.

There was no significant difference in sex, body mass index, disease severity, or volume of injected fat between the 2 groups ( P > 0.05), except for age ( P < 0.05). The 1-year postoperative fat graft retention rate was not significantly different, with 36.6% ± 2.4% (range, 25.3% to 49.3%) in the adolescent group and 32.9% ± 1.7% (range, 27.3% to 40.1%) in the adult group ( P > 0.05). Surgical outcomes were favorable in all patients, with satisfaction scores of 3.8 ± 0.2 points in the adolescent group and 3.6 ± 0.2 points in the adult group ( P > 0.05).

In patients with stable localized scleroderma, the initial autologous fat transplantation was equally effective in improving facial contour deformity, with no significant difference in fat graft retention or patient satisfaction.