A pilot study on ultrasound-assisted liposuction of the greater omentum in porcine models

Abstract

The greater omentum is the largest depot of visceral fat, and recent studies implicate removal of omental fat as a therapeutic option for metabolic syndrome (MS). This study evaluated the technical feasibility of reducing omental fat by using ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) in porcine models. We removed as much omental adipose tissues as possible with a novel ultrasonic aspirator specifically designed for visceral liposuction that was inserted into the peritoneal cavity via the bilateral hypochondrial trocars. The greater part of the omental surface was emulsified and suctioned within 12.4 ± 9.2 (mean ± SD) min. In the survival study, all animals survived for two weeks without clinically evident complications following UAL. Histological examinations confirmed a substantial reduction in omental fat in pigs subjected to UAL. In conclusion, the pilot animal study conducted here demonstrated the technical feasibility of omental liposuction. UAL thus has potential as a relatively non-invasive liposuction approach to treat MS by selectively reducing the visceral fat content of the greater omentum.

Key words::

• Greater omentum
• liposuction
• metabolic syndrome
• visceral fat

Declaration of interest: This study was supported, in part, by Olympus, Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan.