Liposuction and Lipoinjection Treatment for Congenital and Acquired Lipodystrophies in Children

Background: The purpose of this clinical study was to establish liposuction and lipoinjection as a noncosmetic procedure in children to correct lipodystrophies. Methods: Liposuction, fat injection, or a combination of both was performed on 30 patients between 1994 and 2006 at Roberto del Rio Hospital or Clinica Alemana, Santiago, Chile. Liposuction was indicated in patients with excessive amounts of fatty tissue or tumor-like swelling. Combined liposuction and lipoinjection was performed on patients with deficit and excess in soft tissues. Lipoinjection was used for patients with soft-tissue insufficiencies. Samples of fat obtained by liposuction were submitted to histopathologic examination. Traditional tumescent technique was used for liposuction. The supernatant obtained by simple filtration was used for fat injection. Short- and long-term postoperative follow-up included registration of complications and assessment of aesthetic and functional outcome. The kappa test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Thirty patients, nine boys and 21 girls, were operated on, with an average age of 11 years (range, 4 to 17 years). A total of 43 procedures were performed: 27 liposuctions, 10 lipoinjections, and six combined procedures. Average hospital stay was 1.1 days. Of a total 20 patients who underwent liposuction, six required revision. Histopathologic study showed 19 lipomatoses and one lipoblastomatosis. Cosmetic outcomes based on Strasser scale were as follows: six excellent, 19 good, four mediocre, and one poor. Conclusions: Liposuction and lipoinjection as sole or combined procedures are safe methods for the pediatric population. They are well tolerated, with a low rate of complications and satisfactory aesthetic results. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 124: 134, 2009.)