Chinese Journal of Dermatology ›› 2023, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (8): 762-765.doi: 10.35541/cjd.20210866

• Research Reports • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Efficacy of autologous fat grafting in the treatment of 40 cases of stable linear scleroderma: a retrospective analysis

Wang Junxia, Guo Weinan, Chen Hui, Hao Junfeng, Li Bing, Wei Jingyi, Zhao Tao   

  1. Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi′an 710032, China
  • Received:2021-11-30 Revised:2022-12-03 Online:2023-08-15 Published:2023-08-07
  • Contact: Zhao Tao E-mail:zhaotao8454939@163.com

Abstract: 【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the efficacy of autologous fat grafting in the treatment of stable linear scleroderma. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 40 patients with stable linear scleroderma who received autologous fat grafting from October 2017 to November 2020 in the Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University. There were 22 males and 18 females, aged 12 - 36 (18.2 ± 4.82) years. Skin lesions involved the forehead in 16 cases, the perioral area in 4, the lower jaw in 2, the cheek in 9, the trunk in 5, and the lower limb in 4, and the size of depressed skin defects was 3 - 24 cm3. The patients′ subjective satisfaction rate, the decrease in the size of depressed skin defects, and the incidence of adverse reactions after autologous fat grafting were analyzed during the follow-up. Results Six months after the grafting, 40 patients were followed up and evaluated, and the size of depressed skin defects markedly decreased. The satisfaction rate for appearance improvement after the first grafting was 60% (24/40); 35 patients received the second grafting, with a satisfaction rate of 88.6% (31/35); 17 received the third grafting, with a satisfaction rate of 94.1% (16/17); the total satisfaction rate was 87.5% (35/40). After the grafting, local skin unevenness was observed in the grafting area in 3 patients, and in the liposuction area in 2. The incidence rate of postoperative adverse reactions was 12.5% (5/40). Conclusion Autologous fat grafting was markedly effective in the treatment of stable linear scleroderma.

Key words: Scleroderma, localized, Transplantation, autologous, Subcutaneous fat, Stem cells, Linear scleroderma, Adipose stem cell gel, Treatment outcome