A Prospective Study of Autologous Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation

This research study is to evaluate the natural history of fat transplanted from a person's body to their breasts. We are seeking a natural, safe, and effective alternative to breast implants. Patients will undergo liposuction of their body followed by infiltration of this harvested fat around their breasts. The study protocol will involve preoperative and postoperative photographs, mammograms, and MRI to look for changes in the breast shape and size, as well as any internal changes in the breast tissue.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Augmentation; Fat Grafting
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Liposuction, fat grafting; Procedure: breast implants

Detailed Description

The current standard for breast augmentation involves placement of an implant. Although implants are safe, they are foreign bodies and thus have inherent risks including infection, failure, malposition, etc. In order to avoid the inherent risks of an implanted device, some surgeons and patients have elected to proceed with breast augmentation from autologous tissue. Early reports of autologous fat transplantation to the breasts were successful, but increases in breast volume were modest (Bircoll, 1987). There were also hypothetical concerns about changes in the breast tissue that would interfere with mammographic screening for breast cancer.

Spear et al (2005) performed autologous fat transplantation to reconstructed breasts in 37 patients with 2-dimensional photographic evidence of improved breast shape and volume suggesting that this technique can be effectively performed. However, these patients had all received mastectomies so mammographic screening was not indicated. Coleman and Saboeiro (2007) performed autologous fat transplantation to the breasts in 17 patients. Fifteen of the 17 patients received post-operative mammograms, 7 (47%) of which were abnormal. However, none of these abnormal findings interfered with cancer screening. Furthermore, 2 patients in the study did develop breast cancer which was successfully detected by mammography. Other studies have confirmed the ability to differentiate benign from malignant findings on mammogram after autologous fat transplantation. Pulagam et al (2006) reported long term (10 and 8 year) findings on 2 patients that underwent autologous fat transplantation to the breasts. Mammography and ultrasound were used to differentiate benign from malignant appearing calcifications. Some authors have speculated that autologous fat transplantation to the breast would lead to mammographic changes similar to routine breast procedures such as breast reduction and mastopexy (Coleman and Saboeiro, 2007).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20007
      • Georgetown University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 20-50 years old
• willing to have mammogram, MRI, and photographs
• willing to follow study requirements and sign informed consent
• no previous breast surgeries
• must reside within 50 miles of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnant or nursing
• existing breast cancer
• advanced fibrocystic disease
• protease inhibitors
• any condition leading to surgical risk
• any disease known to affect wound healing
• abscess or infection in the body
• incompatible psychological factors

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: subject; 10 subjects receiving breast augmentation with fat grafting	Procedure: Liposuction, fat grafting; Autologous fat will be harvested from the body (typically the abdomen or thighs) using syringe aspiration techniques and then infiltrated into the subcutaneous tissue around the breast as well as between the breast and the underlying musculature using blunt cannulas. These procedures will be done in an outpatient surgery setting in the Georgetown University Hospital under general anesthesia and sterile conditions.; Other Names: Lipovage; Vectra 3-D
Other: control; 10 control will have breast augmentation using breast implants	Procedure: breast implants; patients will have breast augmentation using implants; Other Names: Allergan; Mentor

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Effectiveness will be evaluated by comparing breast volume pre-operatively and at 1 year post-operatively using 3-dimensional picture imaging to obtain objective volume measurements.	One year post-op

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Patients will be evaluated by mammogram, MRI, and 3-D photography to monitor for breast tissue abnormalities and measure increase in volume	one year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Georgetown University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Scott L Spear, MD, Georgetown University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 1, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): April 22, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 15, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 14, 2013
• Last Verified: February 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: autologous; fat grafting; liposuction; breast implants; harvest; breast augmentation; lipoaugmentation; lipoinfiltration; Spear; ASERF; Lipivage; Baker; Georgetown
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4359-617