A new fat grafting procedure tested in the U.K. seems to offer patients a new choice for their breast reconstruction surgery. The adipose-derived regenerative cell (ADRC) fat grafting procedure, also known as RESTORE, was developed by a San Diego-based regenerative medicine company called Cytori Therapeutics.
Many researchers, surgeons, and companies are seeking ever better ways to perform fat grafting procedures, which use the body’s own fat to add natural volume to the breasts. The benefit of fat grafting is that it provides satisfactory results without breast implants. However, there are also some issues associated with fat grafting, including the problem of cell death; some reports have indicated that 25 percent of the grafted fatty tissue is likely to die, usually as a result of insufficient blood flow.
The use of bodily stem cells in breast reconstructive surgery remains one of the most exciting prospects for the field of plastic surgery as a whole, since these have been proven to help the transplanted fat integrate into its new surroundings. Greater success in breast reconstruction could mean better outcomes for various applications of fat grafts, such as breast augmentation and facial contouring.
The British surgeons’ report, announced at the Association of Breast Surgery Conference in Manchester, England, was based off an independent study of 23 breast reconstruction patients who received ADRC fat grafting as part of their surgeries. The procedures took place between September 2008 and November 2010.
What were the results? 19 out of 23 patients reported good to excellent results. The mean satisfaction score was 5.1, with 1 being worst and 6 being best. The surgery had a low rate of complications. These results suggest that RESTORE may soon become another popular option for breast reconstruction surgery.
