Lipofilling is the injection of the patient’s own fat tissue, withdrawn through liposuction, then purified by centrifugation and reinjected during the same operation. (
This injection is done as a graft of fat cellular tissue using a thin needle, in a retrograde manner, over several plans, and crosswise. The volume that can be injected is limited by the thickness of the injected area. Several sessions are often necessary.
This technique that seems simple, actually requires as ignificant learning curvein order to inject properly and avoid the formation ofoily cysts. Lipofillingis used very frequently inbreast reconstruction,associated with other reconstructions or sometimes by itself.Its only limit is the lack of fat sampling area. The percentage of fat resorption after injection is between 30 and50%, and higher for smoking patients.
This technique changed completely the results of breast reconstruction with prosthesis. Despite the very important choice that we currently have in breast prosthesis, there are no custom-made prostheses. As one of my Brazilian colleagues likes to say, lipofilling is somehow the « Photoshop » of breast reconstruction.
In some cases, it can correct the volume of the reconstructed breast.
It is very useful to improve the contours of the reconstruction.
In other situations, it generally improves the reconstructed breast giving it a more sensual aspect.
It was also demonstrated that lipofilling improves the trophicity of irradiated tissues and makes them more flexible. Carrying out a first lipofilling can be useful in order to permit a subsequent reconstruction with prosthesis for difficult cases.
Comme nous l’avons déjà vu, il donne de très bons résultats en complément d’une reconstruction par lambeau de grand dorsal autologue.
Il permet de remodeler une reconstruction par lambeau abdominal, en pouvant également augmenter le volume de manière conséquente.
En respectant certains principes (bilan radiologique préopératoire strictement normal et surveillance par un radiologue connaissant bien les images normales que peuvent induire le lipofilling), je l’utilise parfois pour augmenter le sein controlatéral d’une reconstruction mammaire.
Le lipofilling, dans des cas biens sélectionnés peut permettre une reconstruction complète par graisse, en plusieurs intervention et le plus souvent en utilisant la technique de Brava.
Cette technique est également de plus en plus utilisée en augmentation mammaire à visée esthétique.
Autres techniques