Abstract: 11.10 Gluteal Augmentation Techniques: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Many studies of gluteal augmentation techniques have been published in recent decades, including case reports, retrospective and prospective case series, and multicenter survey reviews. However, to date, there has been no study of the overall complications or satisfaction rates associated with the wide spectrum of techniques. This comprehensive literature review aims to determine outcomes and complications of gluteal augmentation techniques, including patient satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search on PubMed/Medline was performed with the following search algorithm: ((gluteoplasty) OR (buttock augmentation) OR (gluteal augmentation)) AND ((etiology) OR (epidemiology) OR (classification) OR (indications) OR (treatment)). The inclusion criterion was clinical studies in which techniques of gluteal augmentation were described. Excluded from the study were publications not dealing with surgical procedures, review articles, and reports on secondary interventions. RESULTS: Forty-four studies, published from 1969 through 2015, were included; this represented 6909 treated patients. Five gluteal augmentation techniques were identified from these studies: gluteal augmentation with implants (n=4071), autologous fat grafting (n=2394), local flaps (n=349), hyaluronic acid gel injection (n=69), and local tissues rearrangement (26). The overall complication rates of the two most commonly utilized techniques were 24.3% for gluteal augmentation with implants and 8.6% for autologous fat grafting. The most common post-operative complications included wound dehiscence (5.1%) after gluteal augmentation with implants and seroma of the donor site (3.5%) after autologous fat grafting. Patient satisfaction was reported as consistently high for all the five techniques. CONCLUSIONS: There is great heterogeneity of surgical methods for gluteal augmentation, which yield different outcomes. Implant-based gluteal augmentation is associated with high patient satisfaction despite a high complication rate. Autologous fat grafting is associated with lower complication rate, although provides variable results in terms of volume retention. Further prospective studies with preoperative randomization of patients are required to compare different techniques and establish best practices.