Abstract
Background: Nonsurgical fat reduction has become extremely popular among patients; however, a reliable method of measuring its efficacy has not been established. Methods: Ultrasound measurement of human female abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness was carried out on five volunteers. Forty-seven measurements were performed using a GE Venue 40 diagnostic ultrasound device with a 12-MHz transducer. Transducer pressure measurements were recorded simultaneously according to the protocol described by Toomey et al.. Results: Reproducible measurements of abdomen subcutaneous fat could be consistently achieved with a margin of error (95 percent CI) of ±0.558 mm. Conclusions: Using a protocol with a transducer pressure less than 1 N (Toomey protocol) allows accurate and reliable measurement of subcutaneous fat. The authors further conclude that such a protocol is practically reproducible in the clinical setting and should be the standard for evaluating the results of nonsurgical fat removal, particularly in the abdomen. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic, IV.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 624e-629e |
Journal | Plastic and reconstructive surgery |
Volume | 138 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2016 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery