Comparative lipoplasty analysis of in vivo-treated adipose tissue

A comparative histologic and chemical analysis was undertaken of adipose ti ssue treated in vivo with traditional, ultrasound-assisted, and external ul trasound-assisted lipoplasty: A series of six healthy women undergoing elec tive liposuction according to the superwet technique using a 1:1 infiltrati on ratio with the estimated quantity of fat to be removed Nas included in t he study. Four sepal-ate regions on each patient were treated independently in vivo with traditional liposuction, internal ultrasound-assisted liposuc tion, or external ultrasound-assisted liposuction for 7 minutes. External m assage was used as a control. Four separate specimens of adipose tissue fro m each patient were assessed for cellular disruption using blinded histolog ic evaluation. The remainder of tissue was centrifuged to separate the aque ous phase from the cellular components and then spectrophotometrically anal yzed for creatinine kinase and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity as markers of cellular disruption. Histologic analysis confirmed 70 to 90 percent cellular disruption with int ernal ultrasound-assisted Liposuction. Suction-assisted and external ultras ound-assisted liposuction showed 5 to 25 percent disruption, whereas massag e controls showed only 5 percent. Only internal ultrasound-assisted liposuc tion showed 5 to 20 percent thermal liquefaction. Absorbance analysis showe d creatine kinase activity (sigma units) greatest in ultrasound-exposed tis sue. Both external and internal ultrasound-assisted liposuction gave creati ne kinase levels 28 to 33 percent greater than suction-assisted liposuction , which varied only 10 percent from controls. Glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrog enase activity was 44 percent greater for internal ultrasound-assisted lipo suction than that detected with suction-assisted liposuction. Glycerol 3-ph osphate dehydrogenase activity,vith external ultrasound-assisted liposuctio n and massage did not vary much from each other, at only 14 percent and 11 percent activity compared with internal ultrasound-assisted liposuction, re spectively. Histologic and enzyme analysis of the different types of liposuction and th eir effect on adipocyte cellular disruption revealed no significant effect of external ultrasound or massage on the adipocytes. Further experimental s tudies are necessary to evaluate the role and efficacy: of alternative tech niques for body contouring.