Autologous Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation and Breast Remodeling: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Complications, Radiologic Outcomes, Graft Retention, and Patient-Reported Satisfaction

Clicks: 68
ID: 327668
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #16 of 129 articles by views in Aesthetic surgery journal

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 129 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is increasingly used for aesthetic breast augmentation and remodeling because it provides natural tissue augmentation without permanent implants. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated complications, radiologic outcomes, graft retention, and patient satisfaction following AFG. A PRISMA 2020-compliant search identified 40 primary clinical studies including 5,684 patients. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2, ROBINS-I, and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects meta-analysis used restricted maximum likelihood estimation as the primary model, with Hartung-Knapp adjustment and DerSimonian-Laird and Paule-Mandel estimators in sensitivity analyses. Mean follow-up exceeded 6 months. The pooled complication rate was 25.9% (95% CI, 22.4-29.6), mainly consisting of minor radiologic or palpable findings; fat necrosis was the most common adverse event. Benign radiologic findings included fat necrosis (8.8%) and calcifications (1.1%), without evidence of impaired cancer detection. Mean injected fat volume was 310 mL per breast. Twelve-month volume retention was 61.3% (95% CI, 57.1-65.4), with higher retention in SVF/PRP-enriched grafts (68.9% vs 56.1%; p<0.01), although evidence remained heterogeneous. Patient satisfaction was 93.1% (95% CI, 90.4-95.8), despite heterogeneous PROMs. Heterogeneity was substantial for complications (I2=78%; τ2=0.021; Q=177.6; p<0.001) and volume retention (I2=82%; τ2=0.067; Q=216.4; p<0.001), and moderate for radiologic outcomes (I2=52%; τ2=0.008; Q=81.3; p<0.001), reflecting variability in techniques, imaging, processing, enrichment, assessment methods, and follow-up. Current observational evidence supports favorable safety profiles; however, oncologic outcomes were not quantitatively pooled, and prospective comparative studies with standardized reporting are required.
Reference Key
openalex_W7208778060 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Pietro Gentile, Aris Sterodimas
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal Aesthetic surgery journal
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/asj/sjag187
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjag187
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.