Breast Lipomodeling May Obscure Mammograms

PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 05, 2011 (Press-News.org) Many women are eager to take advantage of the promise of breast lipomodeling, the use of a patient's own fat to improve the size, shape, and fullness of the breasts. However, there is good reason to approach the procedure with caution as there remain some unanswered questions about its safety and effectiveness. Two recently published studies give conflicting answers about one of the most important questions: whether transplanted fat has the potential to obscure the results of a mammogram, delaying diagnosis of breast cancer.

The first study, published in the March 2011 issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, showed that breast augmentation with fat grafting did not interfere with mammography results. The research was conducted at the University of Lyon-Leon Berard Cancer Center, France, looked at the mammograms of 20 women before and after breast augmentation with fat transfer.

In the second study, published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, researchers from the Meitan General Hospital, Beijing, concluded that breast augmentation with fat grafting might cause a significant amount of confusion on women's mammograms. The study looked at 48 women who had the procedure from 1999-2009, and found that 8 of them (16.7 percent) had calcifications that were considered highly suspicious for breast cancer.

According to Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. David A. Bottger, "The two studies came to opposite conclusions as to whether or not fat injections to the breast can create findings indistinguishable from those associated with breast cancer. The Chinese study is, however, at odds with a number of other studies that do not support misleading mammographic findings. Regardless, more research is necessary before fat grafting for breast augmentation can be unequivocally embraced."

It is recommended that every woman who is considering breast augmentation with implants or with fat grafting should talk to her plastic surgeon about the risks and benefits of the procedure she is considering.

About Dr. Bottger

Dr. David Bottger is a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. He has a dual certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Bottger provides patients with a full array of surgical and non-surgical options to aesthetically enhance the face, body, and breast regions. http://www.drbottger.com/