The Role of Fat Grafting in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Maxillofacial Deformities

Purpose The first autologous adipose tissue grafting was performed by Neuber in 1893 with an open approach. In the early 1980s, Illouz and Fournier introduced closed liposuction. In the 1990s, Coleman published a new method of atraumatic fat transplantation. Recently, immunohistochemical studies of the extracellular matrix of the lipoaspirate showed the presence of adipose-derived stem cells. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of fat grafting in the management of posttraumatic facial deformities. Methods The study population was composed of all patients who underwent facial fat grafting between March 2008 and November 2010 as a secondary reconstructive procedure after an initial unsatisfactory treatment of the skeletal fractures. We analyzed the postoperative morphological changes by comparing the grafted side of the face to the contralateral side with the aid of a software package. Results Nineteen patients were surgically treated with fat transplantation for facial asymmetry due to a pathological postoperative healing of the soft tissue. Clinical examination and software analysis showed adequate postoperative facial balance without major complications. Conclusion Fat grafting is a very powerful tool to correct posttraumatic maxillofacial deformities and to ensure a long-term follow-up. Although we have achieved excellent clinical results in our reconstructive clinical cases, we are convinced that more complex prospective studies, enriched by long-term radiological controls, are needed to fully understand the biological behavior of the transplanted fat in the posttraumatic face.