The method of processing adipose tissue is essential for the success of cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL)

Cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL), which means the enrichment of adipose tissue with adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), is suggested to enhance the stability of fat grafts. In former studies to evaluate the use of CAL for injection laryngoplasty no evidence for advantage of CAL regarding the long-term volume stability of the fat grafts was found. This might have been the result of an extensive processing of the injected adipose tissue. Thus, in this study processing of the fat tissue was modified. Small pieces of fat were enriched with cells, implanted and evaluated over 3 months in a rabbit model.

ASCs were isolated from the adipose tissue of the neck of 12 New Zealand White Rabbits and cultivated in vitro. After four weeks, adipose tissue was harvested and cut into small pieces. 200 µl of these lipografts were implanted subcutaneously into the rabbits' pinna and enriched with labelled ASCs. Lipografts without cells served as control. After 1, 3 and 12 weeks the implants were harvested. Viability and volume of the implants were determined and the tissue was analyzed using histological and immunhistochemical techniques.

During 3 months after implantation there was a distinct reduction of the fat volume in all groups, while cell-enriched fat implants were more stable than the controls. The fat implants were viable over time course and showed an intact tissue structure with viable adipocytes.

In this study, we found viable and stable implanted adipose tissue, which was processed as small lipografts, over 3 months. Thus, small lipografts, enriched with ASCs may be a suitable autologous injection material with improved long-term volume stability for injection laryngoplasty.

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2019 (online)