A Pilot Clinical Study on the Use of Differentiated Adipocyte Injection for Soft Tissue Augmentation

Han, Seung Kyu; Kim, Hyon Surk; Lim, Hyung Woo; Kim, Woo Kyung

Abstract

Several suspension biomaterials are available for soft tissue augmentation. Although these gel type implants have been shown to be relatively safe and convenient, their varying degrees of resorption require repeated percutaneous injections. Previous in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the injection of cultured human adipocytes can produce a sufficient volume effect with extended in vivo stability. This pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical efficacy of this method. Between November 2007 and January 2008, 5 patients were treated with implants of autologous differentiated adipocytes for wrinkle correction and forehead augmentation. The contour changes of the treatment sites were investigated in accordance with the passage of time, as was the occurrence of complications. The degree of patient satisfaction was also evaluated. The injected bioimplants remained in situ. Two weeks after injection, they began to show evidence of a soft tissue augmentation effect. All patients were satisfied with the overall results of this method, and no complications occurred during the follow-up period. The results obtained indicate that differentiated human adipocytes may be successfully injected as living grafts for long-term implants, and that this method is a well tolerated, effective way of performing soft tissue augmentation.