Clinical and histopathological analysis of tissue retraction in tumescent liposuction assisted by external ultrasound

Multiple subjective evaluations and valuations in clinical studies have sug gested that the use of external ultrasound in liposuction favors the degree of tissue retraction. However, studies do not exist that evaluate with obj ective parameters the degree of tissue retraction after liposuction assiste d with external ultrasound. It is for this reason that a comparative clinic al trial was carried out in 13 female patients to establish clinically and histopathologically the degree of tissue retraction that is produced after tumescent liposuction assisted by external ultrasound compared with the cla ssic tumescent technique. All patients were tattooed in each hemiabdomen wi th reference points that formed a 7 x 7-cm square. Abdominal tumescent lipo suction was carried out in all patients, with external ultrasound applied t o the right hemiabdomen only, and without specifying to the patient the sid e on which the ultrasound was applied, The areas were measured and biopsies were acquired in each hemiabdomen 72 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively, The samples were evaluated by the same pathologi st in a double-blind study. A survey of the patients was carried out regard ing their appreciation of the results at the end of 3 months. On physical e valuation of the tattooed square, none of the thirteen patients presented s ignificant differences in skin retraction (95% dependability by means of St udent's t-test), The histological results showed that external ultrasound i ncreased the degree of edema, vascular congestion, and inflammatory infiltr ation in the dermis during the first 3 months postoperatively. However, aft er 6 months no differences existed. Clinically, no patient observed a marke d difference between the two hemiabdominal areas; an equal aesthetic result was obtained on both sides. In this clinical comparative trial, external u ltrasound as a complementary method to tumescent liposuction did not increa se the degree of tissue retraction after the liposuction, nor did it prove to be a determining factor in the immediate postoperative evolution.