University of Virginia Health System

UVa Plastic Surgeons Offer New Liposuction Procedure

With the new procedure, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), surgeons use a probe that transmits ultrasonic energy to break down fat cells into a liquid-like substance, which they suction out through a small incision. Traditional suction-assisted lipoplasty (SAL) involves surgeons using a small tube called a cannula to physically break up the fat layers under the skin and then remove the solid fat globules with strong suction.

Because UAL gives us the ability to liquefy the fat, it's very effective in dense areas of the body, such as hips, thighs and the male breast area, where fat cells are often hidden behind fibrous tissue and are hard to suction out with the traditional method, said Dr. Raymond F. Morgan, chairman of U.Va.'s Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery. So far, Morgan has performed UAL on eight patients, all of whom were pleased with the results.

While UAL costs the same and takes about the same amount of time as SAL, the new procedure involves less blood loss and bruising than traditional SAL. Morgan stressed that UAL does not replace traditional suction-assisted lipoplasty, because certain thin -skinned areas of the body such as the ankles and the chin area can't tolerate the heat generated by UAL. The ultrasound method simply compensates for some of the limitations of SAL, he said.

The UAL procedure was developed by an Italian surgeon in 1988. After extensive clinical trials conducted jointly by the FDA and the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, several devices gained FDA approval in 1997. Surgeons in the United States are required to complete an extensive training program in UAL before offering the procedure to patients.

February 11, 1998