Radiological Findings Post Autologous Fat Grafting and Breasts Procedures: Avoiding False Positive Results

Oil cysts and fat necrosis are common complications of breast trauma. With the increased availability and sophistication of breast imaging, fat necrosis has become a frequent and typically benign finding in radiological practice. Nonetheless, oil cysts and fat necrosis can elicit an undesirable, persistent inflammatory response. Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is now widely used for breast augmentation, but one of its major complications is the development of oil cysts and calcifications. Oil cysts and fat necrosis demonstrate characteristic appearances on mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound, and their typical evolutionary patterns are pathognomonic for benignity. However, complications may result in imaging features that mimic suspicious lesions and warrant further diagnostic work-up. This review illustrates the imaging complications of fat necrosis at each evolutionary phase and discusses their clinical implications and significance for diagnosis and patient management.