Effect of Diameter and Fenestration Area of the Liposuction Cannula on the Viability of the Adipocytes.

[BACKGROUND] Loss of volume is perhaps the most frustrating problem of fat grafting. The process of fat grafting depends on different variables such as harvesting, processing, and injection techniques. Results between studies that evaluate the effect of the cannula size on fat graft survival have been controversial. However, the role of the fenestration area of the cannula has not been described.

[METHODS] Four custom-made cannulas with a single fenestration were used for this study. Cannulas vary in diameter and area of the fenestration. Healthy patients seeking primary liposuction of the abdomen for aesthetic reasons were included. Lipoaspiration was performed in a clockwise pattern, and the order of the cannulas was rotated. Negative pressure was maintained at 0.8 atm at all times. Ten ml of fat, obtained from the suction tube, was poured into 20-ml conical centrifugal tubes for further processing. One gram of lipoaspirate was extracted from each sample, and acridine orange stain was added. Adipocytes were extracted, extended in a frotis, and observed by a histologist (masked fashion) under fluorescence microscopy. Viability was reported in percentages per sample.

[RESULTS] The overall viability was 64.75% ± 18.58. The viability of the obtained samples ranged from 66.51± 20.66 % to 62.83 ± 18.1. In further analysis, comparing the viability according to the shaft diameter and fenestration area, there was no significant difference among groups.

[CONCLUSIONS] Neither the diameter of the cannula nor the size of the fenestrations are determining factors to affect the viability of the adipocytes.

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