Facial Ultrasonography in acquired facial lipoatrophy

Abstract

Facial lipoatrophy refers to the loss of adipose tissue and is manifested by flattening or indentation of the convex contours of the face while lipodystrophy is a wider term associated with abnormalities of fat tissue distribution and its metabolism, leading to excessive loss and/or accumulation of adipocytes. Although the management of facial lipoatrophy is very important for a patient’s social life and mental health, no treatment framework has been developed due to the unknown nature of the disease manifestation. Early recognition and treatment of the active stage of connective tissue diseases is of essential significance in prevention of subsequent scarring and atrophic lesions. Diagnostic techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (USG), are used to measure the severity of the lipoatrophy. The present study was designed to provide sequential imaging to visualize the disease progression.