Ultrasound Guided BBL to prevent fat embolisms - is it really safer?

An ultrasound guided BBL ensure that fat is injected into the correct plane. The physician will be able to visualize the muscle and therefor avoid injecting into the muscle and causing a fat embolism. BBL has the highest mortality rate which is as high as 1 in 3000 patients, so many physicians are using additional resources to provide the highest level of safety to their patients. I would recommend proceeding with your ultrasound guided BBL.

Dear Sydneeciara,
every surgery has a risk of pulmonary embolism. However, in the case of BBL the risk is slightly increased due to the possibility of fat embolism. In case of board certified well trained plastic surgeon who follows instructions and recommendations that risk is low. Finding the right Dr. is extremely challenging especially with the number of online platforms and resources available. There a lot of great Dr's available. Make sure he/she is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Definitely check to make sure your choice specializes in the procedure you want and spend the time to read through patient testimonials. There is a number of different sites where you can check for reviews (Realself, yelp, google, etc.).You can always pick up the phone and call around also, find an office you feel comfortable with and set up a few consultations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Safety is paramount in BBL (an all surgical procedures). I am unfamiliar with the use of ultrasound guided fat transfer to the buttocks. The vast majority of plastic surgeons do not utilize this technology during a BBL procedure.
I feel you should interview several board certified plastic surgeons, review their results and pick the one you feel most comfortable and confident with.
Dr. Taranow

There are multiple safety precautions surgeons can and should take for this procedure.

Do use of ultrasound is not standard because most plastic surgeons don’t find it necessary or useful.

It sounds to me like the provider is trying to differentiate himself which is not uncommon in a competitive field of cosmetic surgery.

There is not been a recent evaluation of the incidence of fat embolism after the American Society of plastic surgeons encouraged providers to instigate their list of safety measures for this procedure.

It’s been a long time since I heard of this complication and I believe the incidence is far far lower than previously reported for multiple reasons. Primarily because surgeons are aware of the complication and have instigated safety precautions.

I recommend choosing a provider based on having multiple in person consultations.

During the consultation ask each provider to show their entire collection of BBL results.

Truly experienced providers should have no difficulty showing 50 or more sets of BBL before and after pictures. highly experienced providers should have several hundred. The second variable that differentiates the most desirable providers is the absence of justified negative reviews on various physician review websites.

A collection of before and after pictures that reads like a telephone book with the absence of justified negative reviews and all the various physician review websites usually equals the golden ticket for consistent high-quality outcomes.

Personally I think ultrasound is unnecessary and will not add any significant safety to your procedure.

Pick the right provider and everything falls into place. Choose providers based on reputation, skill and experience.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Ultrasound identifies the muscle plane. By staying superficial to the muscle you avoid fat being placed into potential vessels. The superior and inferior epigastric vessels are are at high risk for fat being injected into the vascular space with subsequent fat embolism to the heart which can led to death. Patients need to be aware of this potential catastrophic circumstance.