Harrington Jennifer L, Capizzi Peter J
Dr Harrington is a plastic surgeon in private practice in Plymouth, MN.
Dr Capizzi is a plastic surgeon in private practice in Charlotte, NC.
Aesthet Surg J. 2017 Jun 1;37(6):715-722. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjw250.
Many patients that have undergone mastectomy surgery are left with residual lateral fat under the arm. While the fat may be associated with pain and cause undesirable bulges in clothing and skin irritation, most post-mastectomy patients are not interested in additional surgery.
Cryolipolysis is a nonsurgical procedure for fat reduction. The procedure is typically performed for aesthetic improvement in the abdomen, thighs, and flanks, but cryolipolysis was explored in this study for reconstructive purposes. Efficacy was evaluated for nonsurgical reduction of lateral chest wall thickness post-mastectomy.
A contoured cup vacuum applicator was used to treat 31 post-mastectomy patients under the arms. All subjects had undergone mastectomy but had never received cryolipolysis or any surgical procedures to reduce lateral chest wall fat. Treatments were evaluated by independent photo review and patient surveys.
Three blinded, independent physicians correctly identified 84% of the baseline photographs, demonstrating treatment efficacy. The surveys also found that 87% of subjects reported that cryolipolysis met their expectations; 84% noticed reduction in undesirable tissue; 85% reported better bra fit; and 74% noted that clothing fit more comfortably. Patient questionnaires reveal quality of life improvements post-treatment. While 61% of subjects reported pain in the lateral wall prior to the study, when queried post-treatment, only 13% reported pain; the remaining 87% reported no lateral wall pain.
Results from this study indicate that cryolipolysis nonsurgically reduces unwanted fat and may reduce discomfort from residual lateral chest wall fat in post-mastectomy patients.
许多接受乳房切除术的患者腋下会残留外侧脂肪。虽然这些脂肪可能会引起疼痛，导致衣物下出现难看的凸起并引起皮肤刺激，但大多数乳房切除术后的患者对额外的手术并不感兴趣。
冷冻溶脂术是一种非手术减脂方法。该手术通常用于改善腹部、大腿和侧腹的外观，但本研究探索将冷冻溶脂术用于重建目的。评估其对乳房切除术后非手术减少胸壁外侧厚度的疗效。
使用塑形杯真空涂抹器治疗31例乳房切除术后患者的腋下。所有受试者均接受过乳房切除术，但从未接受过冷冻溶脂术或任何减少胸壁外侧脂肪的手术。通过独立的照片评估和患者调查对治疗效果进行评估。
三位不知情的独立医生正确识别了84%的基线照片，证明了治疗效果。调查还发现，87%的受试者表示冷冻溶脂术符合他们的期望；84%的人注意到不良组织减少；85%的人表示胸罩更合身；74%的人指出衣服穿着更舒适。患者问卷显示治疗后生活质量有所改善。虽然61%的受试者在研究前报告胸壁外侧疼痛，但在治疗后询问时，只有13%的人报告疼痛；其余87%的人报告没有胸壁外侧疼痛。
本研究结果表明，冷冻溶脂术可非手术减少多余脂肪，并可能减轻乳房切除术后患者胸壁外侧残留脂肪引起的不适。
