Liposuction With “Sonic Sculpture”: Six Years’ Experience With More Than 600 Patients

Abstract

I have used ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty for more than 6 years on more than 600 patients, using first the Ultravac Series 3 and now the Surgitron Series 2000 and 3000 prototypes. Ultrasonic energy for liquefaction of body fat evolved from the use of such energy in phacoemulsification of cataracts. I have all but completely abandoned conventional liposuction techniques in favor of ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty for the reduction of excess fatty deposits in both minimal and large volume cases. This clinical review outlines the method of outpatient treatment of 600 cases of trunk ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty, with or without thigh reduction, 174 chin and neck suctions, 12 upper arm sculptings, 30 breast reductions with soft tissue excision, 17 calf reductions, and 40 gynecomastia reductions, most of which involved soft tissue subareolar resection. Many of the patients underwent multiple area reductions simultaneously. Advantages of this technology to both patient and surgeon, include greater postoperative patient comfort, better refinement in body sculpting, diminished blood loss, an opportunity to provide the larger patient lipoplasty, greater speed of execution in liposuction, and, finally, reduced physical effort by the surgeon. A low complication rate (3% overall), mainly small surface irregularities, lends more to the attractiveness of this modality as being worthy of further study for widespread surgical use.