External ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty from our own experience.

External ultrasound-assisted liposuction (XUAL) is a new technique that requires traditional aspirative liposuction after the application of high frequency ultrasonic fields delivered through the skin into a wetted tissue. Initial data suggest that it has some advantages over the traditional procedure, especially regarding the achievement of less traumatic surgery with superior clinical outcome. This preliminary report describes a comparative study between conventional liposuction and the external ultrasound-assisted technique as the modality of treatment for fat deposits in 65 bilateral anatomical areas. The results showed considerable superiority of the ultrasound-assisted series. We found less resistance to the canulla with more rapid removal of fat and the aspirated tissue showed less blood content with intact viable fat cells. Patients report less pain and discomfort on the ultrasound-treated sides and we found less swelling and bruising, with superior skin shrinkage. Clinical recovery was also enhanced by the external ultrasound and no complications were reported with the technique.