Combining autologous fat grafting with implants offers superior breast reconstruction results, says a new study.

1. Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery 1-713-791-070
Fat Grafting with Implants Offers Superior
Results for Breast Reconstruction
It could be the BRA (Breast Reconstruction Awareness) Day
effect - more women are
now aware of the
options available to
restore breast contour
after mastectomy. There
are basically two options: reconstruction with implants and fat
grafting. MDLinx recently reported on a new study published
in the European Journal of Plastic Surgery which suggests
that the use of autologous fat transfer along with breast
implants could maximize the aesthetic outcome.
Fat grafting selectively improves areas of hollowness,
enhancing contour and optimizing symmetry. The implant
option offers a larger increase in projection in a single
procedure. The study was conducted to know if women could
experience a positive difference when combining these
methods. A retrospective chart review was performed on
women who underwent free flap reconstruction with
secondary augmentation using autologous fat grafting or
implants over the period 2008- 2011. The findings can be
summarized as follows:
· 24 women (39 breasts) got additional augmentation of
autologous tissue reconstruction during this period

2. Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery 1-713-791-070
· 16 women (26 breasts) had only fat graft augmentation,
four patients (8 breasts) had only implant augmentation,
and three patients (5 breasts) had both procedures
· For women who had fat grafting, operative intervention
was necessary twice for fat necrosis
· For those who received implants, only one patient
required operative intervention for implant
malpositioning
· The differences noted were not significant
It was found that the group that had both fat grafting and
augmentation had significantly higher aesthetic scores with
regard to overall appearance, contour, and volume. However,
projection obtained was less in the ‘combination group’
compared to the group with fat grafting only and the group
with implant only.
Such studies are a valuable resource for patients as well as
plastic surgeons. Nevertheless, women who have had a
mastectomy should educate themselves on reconstruction
options in consultation with a reliable plastic surgeon. The
patient’s health status, breast anatomy and expectations are
important considerations that go into deciding which
procedure can provide the most optimal outcome.