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. 2018 Nov 13;6(11):e1969.
doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000001969. eCollection 2018 Nov.

Using Fat Grafting to Treat Breast Implant Capsular Contracture

Sarantos Papadopoulos  1 , Goran Vidovic  1 , Matthias Neid  2 , Abdallah Abdallah  1
Affiliations

Using Fat Grafting to Treat Breast Implant Capsular Contracture

Sarantos Papadopoulos et al. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. .

Abstract

Capsular contracture is a frequent complication of breast augmentation and reconstruction that affects up to 30% of patients. The authors describe the effect of fat grafting on capsular contracture used in cases with the primary intention of improving soft-tissue characteristics before implant to implant or implant to fat exchange. Fifteen patients (18 breasts) with capsular contracture Baker grade 4 were reviewed. Pain from capsular formation was able to be ameliorated in all cases after lipofilling sessions, with 11 of them achieving analgesia. Afterward, 4 patients underwent implant to implant and 7 patients implant to fat exchange. Four patients chose to keep the implants after the end of fat grafting procedures, due to satisfying cosmetic results and excellent pain management. Fat grafting may be a useful addition to therapies currently used to treat capsular contracture.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Reaching and sustaining analgesia. Preoperative pictures (A and B) of a 37-year-old patient (patient 1 of Table 1) with a history of breast cancer on the right side, after nipple-sparing mastectomies and implant-based reconstruction on both sides. Implant position is subpectoral/dual plane on both sides. The postoperative pictures (C and D) were taken 12 months after the last of 5 sessions of fat grafting. The ultrasound examination of the soft-tissue envelope before the procedures revealed a thickness of at least 0.2 cm and after them of at least 1.2 cm. The patient reported a softening of the capsule after the lipoinjections on both sides. Animation deformity improved also considerably.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Effects depending on implant position. A and B, Preoperative and postoperative views (after the lipofilling sessions) of a 54-year-old patient with a history of breast cancer on the left side, skin-sparing mastectomies and implant-based reconstruction on both sides with bilateral capsular contracture (patient 10 of Table 1). On the right side, implant position is prepectoral, on the left subpectoral/dual plane. Although the patient reported a softer capsule on the right side, the capsule was only partially softer on the other.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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