The use of mamma MRI volumetry to evaluate the rate of fat survival after autologous lipotransfer

Autologous lipotransfer is becoming more and more popular in plastic surgery. Until now the rate of fat survival was merely estimated by the surgeon and no proven data exist. To assess this surgical method a reproducible and exact tool for volume analysis is necessary. The volume of silicone implants was calculated in six healthy patients with silicone breast augmentation using the BrainLab(c) I Plan Software. In the same technique volumetry was performed in 10 patients before and six months after autologous lipotransfer using the water-jet assisted liposuction (BEAULI) to harvest the fat tissue. Comparison of the implant volumes calculated with MRI volumetry with the official volumes given by the manufacturer showed a very low mean deviation of 2.1+/-1.5%. Preoperative and postoperative MRI volumetry in patients after autologous lipotransfer revealed a mean volume augmentation of 147+/-18 mL. In these patients 72+/-11% of the transplanted fat tissue persisted in the area of injection six month after surgery. MRI volumetry is a useful tool for the fast, exact and reproducible volume analysis of breast tissue. Especially after autologous lipotransfer, where MRI examinations are performed on a regular basis to exclude possible complications, the use of these data to evaluate the rate of fat tissue survival is appealing and due to the high exactness of the method also reasonable.