Treatment of Barraquer-Simons Syndrome using Autologous Fat Graft.

Ahn, Myoung Woong; Cho, Jin Whan

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2001;28(4):428-430.
Published online July 1, 2001.

Treatment of Barraquer-Simons Syndrome using Autologous Fat Graft.

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, In-ha Hospital, College of Medicine, In-ha University, Kyongki-do, Korea.

Abstract

Barraquer-Simmons syndrome, also known as cephalothoracic lipodystrophy, is an uncommon disorder of unknown origin. Patients with this syndrome lose their subcutaneous fat of face and it progresses to the thoracic region. Simultaneously, the accumulation of subcutaneous fatty tissue in lower extremity occurs. The onset of this syndrome is known to be in their teens and patients are mainly female. The progression of this condition stops spontaneously in their early twenties. Twenty percents of patients show nephropathy with complement disorder which aggravates the prognosis. We present a 34-year-old female with typical features of this syndrome. This patients was treated with autologous free fat graft harvested from the gluteal area. The donor and recipient site healed uneventfully and the result was comparatively satisfactory. Autologous fat graft method is easy to perform, allows fast recovery with minimal donor site morbidity and is a useful method for the patients with Barraquer-Simmons syndrome.

Keywords: Barraquer-Simons syndrome; Fat graft; Facial atrophy