The Effect of Amniotic Membrane and Fat Grafts on Capsular Contracture Print

The ASERF Scientific Research Committee and Board of Directors are pleased to announce the following grant award:

Researcher: Hooman Soltanian

Grant Award: ASERF Interim Grant

Amount Awarded: $24,000

Project Name: The Effect of Amniotic Membrane and Fat Grafts on Capsular Contracture 

Project Summary: Capsular contracture is a common problem in both breast augmentation and implant-based breast reconstruction cases, which are among the most frequently performed plastic surgery procedures today. Capsular contracture can lead to cosmetic deformity, pain, emotional hardship and can result in additional, unplanned procedures and post-operative recovery time. In spite of the prevalence and morbidity of this problem, few studies have offered solutions for altering the underlying pathophysiology (1), and there are currently no clinical means for managing this problem other than performing revisionary surgical procedures.

Two tissues that have shown interesting properties in surgical fields are human amniotic membrane (HAM) and autologous fat. HAM has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-scarring and antimicrobial effects (2). Similarly, fat grafting has been used to treat the sequelae of radiation-induced skin changes, a phenomenon which has been explained by the effect of Adipose Derived Stem Cells (ADSCs) on fibrotic tissues (3,4). Given the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties of these tissues, we believe that HAM and autologous fat grafts could be used to prevent and/or treat capsular contracture. The current study will examine the effect of HAM and fat grafts on radiation induced fibrosis; a first step in possible human application.