The Viability of Human Adipocytes after Closed-Syringe Liposuction Harvest

Abstract

The notion of free-tissue transplantation of autologous adipose is not new, but has experienced a resurgence in interest due to the popularity of liposuction surgery. Literature review indicates a lack of predictability with previously described techniques, and various theories have been proposed to explain clinical findings. A requisite premise of autologous soft-tissue transplantation is that the tissue must survive the harvest. Recent advances in cell culture technique have allowed us to prove that adipocytes can survive harvesting by aspiration, at least by the method used in this investigation. A surprising finding was that the adipocytes maintained a mature phenotype in culture. This may provide a laboratory model for further investigation.